State of Arkansas Archives: on War & Peace

Dan Whitfield: Bring troops home; stop destabilizing foreign governments

Dan Whitfield: America has been in the business of war for far too long

We spend on average around $3 billion dollars PER DAY on war. Most of this money does not go to our troops, but to defense contractor companies whom are mostly owned by ex-legislators.

Ricky Dale Harrington: End costly wars and foreign entanglements

A: Criminal justice reform, healthcare reform, foreign policy, ending costly wars, making sure Congress checks the executive branch, repealing the War Powers Act, Patriot Act.

Ricky Dale Harrington: Repeal the War Powers Act & Patriot Act

Criminal justice reform, healthcare reform, foreign policy, ending costly wars, making sure Congress checks the executive branch, repealing the War Powers Act, Patriot Act.

Mark West: Avoid foreign entanglements

A: Support; we can be internationally involved without being militarily involved. I prefer diplomacy.

Curtis Coleman: Use military force top prevent nuclear proliferation

Coleman: Yes

Q: Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon?

Coleman: Yes

Conner Eldridge: Provide resources to keep military strongest in the world

• Build our global coalition to wipe ISIS off the face of the earth through overwhelming, immediate force.
• Stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons with a tougher treaty that demands anytime, anywhere inspections, ensures strong verification measures and forces accountability for supporting terrorism.
• Fully support passage of an emergency spending bill for our military in 2017 to provide our diplomatic, intelligence and military communities the resources they need.

Tom Cotton: Authored deal requiring Congress' input on Iran nuke deal

The letter, written after Cotton had been senator for 65 days, underscored his outspoken, unapologetically bold approach, and made it clear that he is not going to hold back despite his junior status.

Conner Eldridge: Opposes Obama's Iran nuclear deal; needs more verification

Eldridge said he opposes the agreement, which aims to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from international economic sanctions: "I think the Iran deal is a bad deal for our country," Eldridge told The Associated Press. "Reaching this deal enables $100 billion or more to go to the largest state sponsor of terrorism. That's just not a good deal in my opinion."

Boozman and the other members of the state's all-GOP congressional delegation have criticized the deal. Eldridge said he didn't think the deal's verification measures are strong enough, and said he doesn't think the U.S. should negotiate the agreement without discussing Americans imprisoned in Iran.

Bruce Westerman: No way we can accept a nuclear Iran

There is no way Israel or the United States can accept a nuclear Iran. It would pose an immediate threat to Israel and all Americans in the region. It will also allow Iran's surrogate groups a new weapon with which to terrorize the world. We must stand steadfast in opposition to Iranian nuclear capability; furthermore, we must ensure Iran is prevented from even having the capacity to make such a weapon. No final agreement with Iran should allow it to maintain any sort of uranium enrichment capacity (including centrifuges) or heavy water reactor, and must require a stringent inspection regime.

Mark Swaney: Iraq war was a waste, based on a lie

Swaney wants voters to know he thinks the Iraq war unnecessarily took the lives of many U.S. soldiers and cost the country trillions of dollars. "It did nothing to help Iraq or preserve our national security," Swaney said. "It was a war that was a waste, it was based on a lie and, as far as I'm concerned, those who served in the war served honorably and well. I have no problem with people who served in the war, but those who ordered the war and those who pushed us into that war are guilty or perpetrating a national disgrace. When I'm in office, I will do as much as I can to promote peaceful foreign policies."

Tom Cotton: Jihadists attack us for who we are

Former NYC Mayor RUDY GIULIANI: You have to go where the evidence takes you. Profiling is perfectly legal and perfectly legitimate if you're following objective evidence. Unfortunately, a significant number of these attacks come about from this distorted Islamic extremist ideology. So you can't ignore it. You've got to go after it.

REP. TOM COTTON: The mayor makes the core point: that jihadists around the world don't attack us for the actions we take, they attack us for who we are. We are freedom's home, and we are freedom's defender. It didn't take Guantanamo Bay, it didn't take drones, to knock down those towers on 9-11. If we grounded every drone, if we close Guantanamo Bay, they'd find another pretext to attack us.

Tom Cotton: Iraq War was just and noble

COTTON: The Iraq war wasn't just a noble war. I joined the army after 9/11, after the Iraq war was started. I joined in part because I wanted to go fight on the front lines. After the surge, I felt that we succeeded. And we have a generation of veterans whose accomplishments in Iraq we should celebrate; and now who are going to be leaders all around the country. We're going to make America a better place.

Q: Was it worth it to the lives that were lost there? Was it worth it with the trillions of dollars that we've spent there?

COTTON: I would say it was worth it, but it was also a little bit too soon to tell because there's nothing ever certain in human affairs. But if you look at the accomplishment of our troops in Iraq, they deposed an evil tyrant who was an aggressive international dictator. He had demonstrated the ability and the will to use weapons of mass destruction. Under those conditions, it was a just and noble war.