Staff Writer
Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson said Wednesday the United States needs to increase military spending to better finance its troops and intelligence, calling national security the top obligation of a U.S. president.
"There are a lot of people in need, there are a lot of things that need funding, there are a lot of government programs and so forth, but preserving the security and safety of the American people is the No. 1 obligation of any government and the No. 1 obligation of any people," he said during a stop at Café Diem in downtown Ames.
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"I have met with our CIA officers in far-away places in soundproof rooms, filling me in on - and other members of the intelligence committee on - what was going on in that part of the world," he said.
He said securing the nation's borders also is essential to better ensure national security.
"I don't know why any terrorist would come through an airport or a seaport anymore when they can walk across the border with a grapefruit size amount of the wrong kind of materials that they could put in the hands of the wrong kinds of experts that could destroy an American city," he said.
On Iraq, Thompson said the United States needs to get out of the area as soon as possible but not until the operation can be deemed a success.
"If we are perceived to be driven out of anywhere where al-Qaeda or anyone else draws the battle line, it is going to make for a more dangerous United States of America," he said.
Ames resident Sheryl Rippke asked Thompson if he would support federal funding to provide treatment for people with HIV before they develop AIDS. It's a plan she said could save the government money through preventative care before a person develops AIDS.
Thompson responded by saying he is mindful of the need for research and development into diseases, but he would not commit to one single area.
"I think we need to be fair to all the major diseases and killer diseases that Americans suffer from today, and I promise to try to be as fair as I can about that," he said.
Following the appearance, Rippke said she did not feel confident about Thompson's response.
"I don't know that he is fully informed on this topic, and I didn't feel that he made any commitment to looking into this further," she said.
Thompson spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Iowa visiting coffee shops, a restaurant in Le Mars and a ballroom in Sioux City to drum up more support for his campaign as the Jan. 3 Iowa Caucus nears.
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday shows former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in a virtual tie for Iowa caucus-goers with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been a favorite of Republican Iowa caucus-goers during most of the 2008 campaign. Thompson was running third in the poll, gathering 15 percent of the poll compared to Romney's 28 percent and Huckabee's 24 percent.
Talking to the media following the event Wednesday, Thompson responded to Huckabee's recent surge, saying, "Is he leading the pack in that poll? That's, that's very interesting. I wonder who will lead it next week and the week after that and the week after that.
"It's a fluctuating situation in Iowa as always, and everybody's going to have to do the best they can do and see how it turns out in the end," he added.
As far as his campaign is concerned, Thompson said he believes it is where it needs to be right now, 43 days before Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus.
"It's never over until it's over," he said. "The thing to do is to be steady and strong, and I think what we are doing now is showing good results as evidenced by the reception I got here today."
William Dillon can be reached at 232-2161, Ext. 361, or William.Dillon@amestrib.com.
