CPAC Presidential Lineup: Duncan Hunter

http://www.humanevents.com/rightangle/index.php?p=21192

by Amanda B. Carpenter
03-02-2007

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R.-Calif.) reinforced his image as advocate for a muscular defense system and security hawk in his morning speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference today.

Hunter devoted a large portion of his speech advocating for a larger industrial military complex.

He said that in with today’s testy political climate a trade policy honed by former President Ronald Reagan was called for.

“We are going to have a new policy when it comes to trade,” he said. “Trust, but verify.”

He worried that too many foreign countries were producing our military resources to the detriment of American security.

“As Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, when IED’s started hurting our troops in Iraq and we sent teams to find some high-grade steel [to help protect them]. I found one company that makes it….When a company in Switzerland cut off our smart bombs, only one company in American could make that tiny guidance system for our smart bombs.”

Hunter also spoke of his work securing the border in San Diego. “The reason they came is because everyone in the world has a television set and they know the border is open.”

He was the architect of the House legislation to construct a 700-mile fence along the southern border.

“We built that fence in San Diego, a double fence. Before that fence it was no man’s land,” he said.

Now, “by FBI statistics the crime rate fell by more than 50 percent,” he told the audience.

“So, let’s build that fence!” he said. The crowd whooped and yelled before rising to give him a standing ovation.

If elected President Hunter promised to pardon Border Agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos also earned him a standing ovation.

He ended his speech with a promise to also appoint pro-life conservative judges to the Supreme Court if elected. He said, “America is a great nation because America is a good nation. And our goodness comes from our belief in God and the corresponding belief in human life.”