Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum claimed Sunday that by announcing the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq, President Barack Obama had “lost the war.” The candidate told CBS’ Bob Schieffer that the Republican reaction to the president’s announcement had been scathing because the Obama administration failed to convince Iraq to give U.S. troops immunity from prosecution.
“We have a president that was not able to set conditions and actually have the kind of influence over the Iraqi government,” Santorum complained. “Now, three years the president has had to work with the Iraq government, to try to mold and shape that relationship. And to be in a position where really the Iranians now have more sway over the Iraqi government then the United States just shows the weakness of our diplomatic effort, the weakness of this president.”
“I think that’s reason people are so upset, that, you know, we’ve lost — in many respects, we’ve lost control, lost the war in Iraq because we have Iran having broadened its sphere of influence.”
At a meeting with the Senate Republican Conference in 2005, Santorum told American Digest’s George Vanderleun that victory in Iraq was possible even if U.S. troops were not based there.
“[It] would be sufficient [for victory],” the then-Pennsylvania senator said. “It’s a democracy. We’ve got folks in Europe that don’t want our bases there. I’m not concerned about that as long as this government that may not want us there is in secure enough hands to make sure that it does not become a terrorist state or otherwise problematic. Whether we are there or not is of secondary importance.”
