Delay: War with Iran Possible

On Thursday, July, 10, 2008, former Republican House Minority Leader Tom Delay appeared on Hardball With Chris Matthews. During the interview, DeLay said it was possible the U.S. would go to war with Iran before the elections and called for a blockade against Iran. Below is the transcript of the exchange from the show.

MATTHEWS: Do you think we are going to go to war before the election?

DELAY: I think it‘s possible with Iran.

MATTHEWS: Do you think Israel might want to take a—Olmert is—they have got a weak government in Israel. He may be and feel in a position he has to act to show his strength. You know what is going on over there. You know that region. We may decide—Cheney may say and influence the president to say, look, if Israel has to attack, it will take them 2,000 sorties to do the job. We could do it in a day. Why don‘t we do it clean and get it
over with, because we will get blamed anyway?

DELAY: And particularly if Obama is the next president.

MATTHEWS: Well, tell me what you think, as a conservative. Do you think we should move over there between now and the election?

DELAY: Absolutely. We should have moved a lot earlier.

MATTHEWS: What should we do?

DELAY: Well, first and foremost, we should blockade Iran, quit dallying around in all this diplomatic and sanctions. They‘re obviously not working. But you could go straight to a blockade of Iran.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: And what would happen then?

DELAY: They would stop driving their cars. And the pressure at home would start growing by—by huge amounts. But we should never take a military strike off the table.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: What about Olmert calls up you and—he calls up you and says, should I go? What would you say?

DELAY: I would say go.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Attack?

DELAY: But maybe we want to go. Maybe it is better for the U.S. to do it, rather than Israel to do it.

MATTHEWS: Is that where you are on that right now?

DELAY: That‘s where I am.

MATTHEWS: Go?

DELAY: No, not right now. But if things deteriorate over the next two to three months, then, that option has to be considered.

MATTHEWS: Because you said one of the reasons being that Barack Obama is coming into office possibly and that he wouldn‘t do it.

DELAY: He wouldn't do it, not at all.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Do you think this is a common belief around the White House crowd, of the Dick Cheney crowd and the president? Do you think they‘re actually thinking about acting now, while they still have a chance to end that nuclear threat from Iran?

DELAY: I can‘t answer that. I‘m not in touch in them. I haven‘t talked to them. So, I really have no feel for that.