TRENTON, NEW JERSEY ¨C New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, campaigning for president in New Hampshire, said the U.S. would have ¡°no right¡± to stop Israel from using military force to destroy Iran¡¯s nuclear program.
Christie said Wednesday at a Republican forum that he¡¯d look to have a conversation with Israel prior to any military action, which he said would be the proper course for ¡°friends and allies.¡± A former federal prosecutor, Christie, 52, has called for expanding the military and government intelligence-gathering as part of his foreign policy.
The governor is trying to jump-start his prospects ahead of the first Republican debate on Aug. 6 by talking to voters in New Hampshire, the state with the first primary. Fox News, the debate sponsor, plans to winnow the party¡¯s field of 16 candidates to 10 by using an average of five national polls. The RealClearPolitics polling average currently has Christie in ninth place.
¡°We don¡¯t have the right to stop Israel from acting in what they believe to be their national interest,¡± Christie said during a foreign-policy forum in Manchester organized by Americans for Peace, Prosperity and Security, a group led by former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. ¡°Do I believe the United States should unilaterally stop Israel? The answer is no because Israel has an absolute right of self-determination and to defend itself.¡±
Four years ago, Christie turned down pleas from business executives and party figures to run against President Barack Obama. So far, he¡¯s struggled to recapture that momentum.
During the three-day swing through the Granite State, he held two town-hall meetings in bars ¡ª ¡°the more you drink the better these get,¡± he quipped ¡ª and greeted breakfast customers in two diner stops. He closed the trip out with the 90-minute appearance in Manchester.
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