If the U.S. ever finds itself on the verge of military action against Iran, one congressional Republican says he would favor nukes over boots on the ground.
“I think a ground war in Iran with American boots on the ground would be a horrible thing,” California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter said Wednesday on C-SPAN. “If you have to hit Iran, you don’t put American boots on the ground, you do it with tactical nuclear weapons and you set them back a decade or two or three.”
Hunter, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, conceded that a “massive aerial bombardment campaign” would be a “huge undertaking.” But, he continued, it would be less intensive than the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq, where Hunter said “crazy guys” are now running the government. Still, Hunter emphasized he "sure as hell" hopes the U.S. can avoid a war with Iran.
During the same C-SPAN appearance, Hunter also alleged that lying “is a part of the Middle Eastern culture,” though his spokesman later attempted to clarify that the congressman was only referring to Middle Eastern leadership and political culture.
“In the Middle Eastern culture it is looked upon with very high regard to get the best deal possible, no matter what it takes, and that includes lying," Hunter said in the interview.
This wasn't Hunter's first incendiary statement; in 2010, he suggested that he'd be open to deporting natural-born Americans whose parents were in the country illegally.