Brian Schweitzer possible presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs
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Iran nuclear deal
- During an interview with Slate in January 2014, Brian Schweitzer discussed the Iran nuclear deal. He said, "The Iranian deal makes sense. We linked up with the Saudis before and after World War II. Look, unlike virtually every member of Congress, I have a pretty good firsthand knowledge of the Middle East. The day after I got out of graduate school, after I defended my thesis, I went straight to Libya. I was there for a year; I was in Saudi Arabia for seven. I learned to speak Arabic. I can explain to you, in a way that almost no one else in the country can, the difference between a Sunni and a Shia. I can explain to you who and what the Wahhabis are in Saudi Arabia. I can talk to you about why we, the United States, initially got involved with the Saudi royal family, what we got out of the deal. I can explain to you why we knew Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. We knew, because we supplied chemical weapons to him so he could poison the Iranians. The Iranians are Persian, not Arab; they haven’t got along for several thousand years. So we’ve had a bad history with Iran because of what we did in 1953, replacing an elected official with a dictator. If we can build a relationship that’s a little more even-handed, if we can get them to back away from their nuclear ambition—let’s face it, their neighbors don’t even like that—if we were to step up and said we’re no longer just going to take the Saudis’ position all the time, you don’t have to worry about us attacking you from Afghanistan or Iraq, if you agree to back away from your nuclear ambitions, we’ll be neutral."[1]
Military preparedness and budget
- In December 2013, when asked if he was "anti-war," Brian Schweitzer said, "No, I believe that we ought to have a strong defense system. I just don’t think we should be the world’s police. … For the last number of presidents, unfortunately, we were the world policeman," according to The Des Moines Register.[2]
National security
- In December 2013, Brian Schweitzer commented on the Iraq war. He said, "I didn’t vote for that war, and I didn’t think it was a good idea. When we were attacked at 9/11 by 17 Saudis and two Egyptians who called themselves Al-Qaeda, who weren’t welcome in Iraq, and George Bush got a bunch of Democrats to go to that war, I was just shaking my head in Montana," according to The Des Moines Register.[2]
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