Senior Editor Fugate Answers The Debate

The following is a transcript of how Senior Editor Benjamin Fugate would have responded to the third debate's questions if he were running for President instead of Governor Romney.

The first question, and it concerns Libya, the controversy over what happened there continues. Four Americans are dead, including an American ambassador. Questions remain. What happened? What caused it? Was it spontaneous? Was it an intelligence failure? Was it a policy failure? Was there an attempt to mislead people about what really happened? Benjamin Fugate, you said this was an example of an American policy in the Middle East that is unraveling before our very eyes. I’d like to hear each of you give your thoughts on that.

Benjamin Fugate, you won the toss. You go first.

Benjamin Fugate: Thank you Bob for this opportunity to reply on this important subject. My own foreign policy and ideal government views have changed greatly over the past year. As I said when the Libyans, Egyptians, and Tunisians were revolting, we should side with the legally appointed dictator of these nations and help him quell the rebellions without invoking violence. President Obama supported the rebellions and now has no problem with Muslim Brotherhood leaders being installed in all three nations. I would have sent thousands of National Guardsmen to these North African nations to help the dictators temporarily imprison the revolutionaries. After the revolt subsided, the dictators could transport these people to other nations where they would be more comfortable.

            As far as the Libyan Embassy attack is concerned, I believe that President Obama made a horrible blunder in this regard. If the news reports are correct that the President had been warned about security needs at the Embassy, then we know for sure that it was handled incorrectly. If I had been President, I would have immediately responded to the calls for more troops with one of two responses. I would have either sent over thousands of more troops or would have had the embassy abandoned within 48 hours. If something like this happens in my presidency, I will respond the same way. If I do not then the people should not re-elect me.  President Obama punted on this issue. I would have responded quickly and decisively. There is no need for an embassy in a country where terror attacks are going to threaten its inhabitants on a regular basis. President Obama also failed to call the attack a terrorist attack until 2 weeks later. I would never have blamed the attack on an obscure movie. I would have called the attack a Muslim terrorist attack immediately.

Let me interject the second topic question in this segment about the Middle East and so on, and that is, you both mentioned — alluded to this, and that is Syria. The war in Syria has now spilled over into Lebanon. We have, what, more than a hundred people that were killed there in a bomb. There were demonstrations there, eight people dead.

Mr. Fugate, it’s been more than a year since President Obama told Assad he had to go. Since then 30,000 Syrians have died. We’ve had 300,000 refugees. The war goes on. He’s still there. Should we reassess our policy and see if we can find a better way to influence events there, or is that even possible? You go first, sir.

The Syrian problem is another one in which President Obama punted. This time he let Coffee for Oil Annan handle the issue. Koffi Annan is one of the worst UN ambassadors ever. If I were President, I would have handled the American response by myself with no help from the UN. I would have called the Turkey prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and told him that Syria is all his. I would tell him that the Alliance of Powerful Nations (Israel, Canada, Brazil, Australia, UK, South Africa, and USA) would not stand in his way when he attacks Syria. I would encourage him to support the revolutionaries in the area and to let them have a Pro-Turkey government after the war is over. I would not send over any troops to Syria and I would not support the dictator there because he is brutal and ruthless. Syria is a simple solution, President Obama made it harder.

Benjamin Fugate, I want to hear your response to that, but I would just ask you, would you have stuck with Mubarak?

As I said earlier, Bob, I would have supported Mubarak and I would have helped him rid his nation of the rebels by peaceful actions. I would not allow him to kill his people. I would have helped him transport his enemies. I would have done the same in Tunisia and Libya. Mark my words, Americans, the day will come when the Libyans will cry for Qaddafi. The Tunisians will cry for the days of Ben-Ali, and the Egyptians will cry for Mubarak. When that day comes, I will tell those Muslim Brotherhood-led nations that it is too late and that they are no longer profitable nations in the world. If these people really want freedom then they should kick the Muslim Brotherhood out of their borders. It is very sad that President Obama supported these rebellions especially when he knew that the Muslim Brotherhood supported the Arab Spring. I would fix the Arab Spring during my reign.

You’re going to get a chance to respond to that because that’s a perfect segue into our next segment, and that is what is America’s role in the world. And that is the question. What do each of you see as our role in the world?

And I believe, Benjamin Fugate, it’s your turn to go first.

The place of America in the world is to protect its own interests and the interests of its FEW allies. I would first take the UN out of the US and then I would take the US out of the UN by not sending an ambassador to that evil association. Then I would set up just a few ambassadors for each part of the world. I would have ambassadors for Israel, Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia, Russia, Europe, Latin America, Mexico, Cuba, Bahamas, Canada, North Africa, Southern Africa, and the Middle East. I would have 14 total ambassadors with a few deputies in each region. This would save money and would give our nation a unified message to the world. Our message would be simple. You are either an ally, a neutral fellow nation, or an enemy. If you are declared as an enemy, my message would be ‘shape up or pay up’! If you are a threat to the future of the USA or its allies then you had better change your ways or we will attack you with the blessing of our allies. We would not defend all groups seeking liberty. We would not try to build nations in the Middle East or anywhere else. We would make sure that no nation or group is able to threaten the future of the U.S. We would neutralize that threat with air strikes and leave that entity to pick up its own pieces. This is the best foreign policy for both Americans and for citizens of other nations.

Let me — I want to try to shift it, because we have heard some of this in the other debates. Governor, you say you want a bigger military. You want a bigger Navy. You don’t want to cut defense spending. What I want to ask you, we’re talking about financial problems in this country. Where are you going to get the money?

When it comes to the military, I want a STRONGER military, not a BIGGER military. The first thing I would do as President is take all of the troops out of Afghanistan and bring them back to The States. I would not wait for the Congress to give me permission to do such. Then I would take all of our military bases out of non-bordering nations including Germany, Japan, and wherever else the war hawk presidents extended our forces. I would bring back 90 to 95 percent of the military back to the USA and its territorial borders. These soldiers would guard the borders, monitor the coasts and train on our shores so that they can defend our shores. I would cut all military spending across the board by 40% because I would cut the overall budget indiscriminately by 40% across the board. This means that if we gave a military contractor 600 billion dollars last year, we would give them 360 billion dollars in the 2013 fiscal year. I would then ask all open homosexuals and all women to leave the military by the end of their terms. I would have an all-heterosexual male army based on physical strength and American technology. I would reinstate President Clinton’s ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy. I would line the borders with soldiers and fill the coasts with ships. I would send ships and air forces to other parts of the world as our ambassadors and intelligence notify us of problems. The American military of Benjamin Fugate’s presidency would be strong, localized, and prepared to respond to all threats to American interests.

Would either of you be willing to declare that an attack on Israel is an attack on the United States, which of course is the same promise that we give to our close allies like Japan? And if you made such a declaration, would not that deter Iran? It’s certainly deterred the Soviet Union for a long, long time when we made that — when we made that promise to our allies.

Bob, this is very simple. In the Bible, the only Holy Book, the only inspired revelation of the one true God, we are given the basis for the right attitude towards Israel. In Genesis 12:3, God says to a man that had just met the Lord, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curses thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” We as Americans and as descendants of the families that knew Abraham personally are to bless Israel and to defend them. Although the current nation of Israel is not made up of all Jews and does not contain even half of the Jews in the world, we should be their ally. Any attack on Israel is an attack on the USA and its few allies. We will have about 60,000 troops in Israel by the end of my first term, about 2 percent of the military. We will send another 50 ships and 500 planes there by 2016. Israel is being attacked as we speak. I plan to give my military the permission to defend Israel’s borders. Israel’s borders should be the Euphrates in the north, near Beirut, the Gulf of Aqaba in the south, the Jordan River and Golan heights in the East, and the Mediterranean Sea in the West.  I would help Israel achieve these borders and I would help the Philistines, yes I said Philistines, move into neighboring nations. We are Israel’s ally, not the other way around.

Let me ask both of you, there — as you know, there are reports that Iran and the United States, as part of an international group, have agreed in principle to talks about Iran’s nuclear program. What is the deal if there are such talks? What is the deal that you would accept? Mr. Fugate.

Fellow Americans, I, Benjamin Fugate, if elected President would not have any discussions with Iran about their Nuclear Weapons program. Achmedinajihad is a dangerous man and is the next Hitler if we let him. The solution to Iran is simple. On February 1st, I would declare Iran as an enemy and threat to the future of Israel and to the future of the United States. I would give Iran one year to either end their nuclear program or have democratic elections. I would tell Iran if neither is done that on February 1st, 2014 that the US would rain fire on Iran. We would attack all of their nuclear weapons sites and just let the nuclear matter spread to the rest of the nations, killing millions and striking the nation in its throat. The people of Iran would have no chance to unify and attack the US because Achmedinajihad’s nuclear waste will have killed so many and poisoned so many others that the Iranians would not be able to join in and attack the US or Israel. I would also encourage Israel to drop Nuclear Warheads on Tehran and Mashdad and all other major Iran cities. The Iranians would know that Benjamin Fugate is not the problem but Achmedinajihad is the problem in that nation. Achmedinajihad would also be put on our no-fly list and would not be allowed to fly into any US city. By February 1, 2014, Iran will no longer be a threat to America or Israel, if I am elected President.

 All right. Let’s go — and that leads us — this takes us right to the next segment, Governor, America’s longest war, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Bob, this is extremely simple. On January 22, 2013, I would pull out all American troops out of Afghanistan. This war has gone about 10 years too long. We should never have put troops in Afghanistan. We should have struck Kandahar and Kabul with bombs and then left them alone. We cannot continue to waste American resources with land attacks in areas that will never have peace. In the Middle East, we could have 72 more nations and there would still be warring factions of Shiites and Sunnis. Afghanistan is no longer an interest than America should pursue.

All right. Let me go to Benjamin Fugate because you talked about Pakistan and what needs to be done there. General Allen, our commander in Afghanistan, says that Americans continue to die at the hands of groups who are supported by Pakistan. We know that Pakistan has arrested the doctor who helped us catch Obama … bin Laden. It still provides safe haven for terrorists, yet we continue to give Pakistan billions of dollars. Is it time for us to divorce Pakistan?

When were we ever married to Pakistan? I know I did not sign as a witness to that nuptial. Pakistan is an enemy to India and vice versa. Their interests in Afghanistan are to get more recruits for their upcoming battle with India. If I had to choose, I would choose India over Pakistan. India is a developing nation that provides millions of productive workers and a lot less terrorists than Pakistan. India needs to develop a better unity or needs to be broken into smaller states but they are much better of a choice of ally than Pakistan. Pakistan would be neutral as far as the US is concerned in a Fugate administration. If Pakistan threatened our few allies with its nuclear weapons then we would neutralize them with no American bloodshed. India would not be our ally but they would certainly get the benefit of the doubt in any disputes with Pakistan, a nation that illegitimately owns the very land where the East Indians began their civilization. In the reign of Fugate, Pakistan would just be another nation with a neutral status to our nation. Americans could go there freely and Pakistanis could come to the US as legal immigrants or tourists. We would not have an embassy there but would continue to allow a Pakistani embassy on our shores as long as there is a need. We would not send aid in any way to Pakistan as long as I am President.

Let me ask you, Mr. Fugate, because we know President Obama’s position on this, what is — what is your position on the use of drones?

Fellow Americans, I, Benjamin Fugate, promise you that I would not use drones in any way on US soil unless a foreign enemy has troops on our shores. I would not use drones in any other nation unless our planes were not working correctly. Drones are too dangerous because they can get in the wrong hands too easily. Planes still need ammunition and pilots. Drones just need a few smart men who understand the controls. The bombs are already provided in drones.  Drones are a waste of the taxpayers’ money.

Let’s go to the next segment because it’s a very important one. It is the rise of China and future challenges for America. I want to just begin this by asking both of you — and Mr. President, you go first this time — what do you believe is the greatest future threat to the national security of this country?

My good friend and foreign policy adviser, Jason Lewis, said it very well. China will not attack us as long we buy their goods and borrow their money. We will not borrow their money when I am president but we will probably buy their products. We will still have some need for Chinese products, but I hope that we will buy more American products. As far as the greatest threat to American interests, that would be Iran. This is a threat that I would neutralize within 14 months of my presidency. The next greatest threat is the national debt. My plan is to cut overall federal spending by 40% for the 2013 fiscal year. This will be hard since the fiscal year has already begun but I would accomplish it and would not run for re-election if I fail to balance the budget by September 30, 2013. I would then cut personal tax rates to 6% of employee income across the board. Corporate/ employer tax rates would be 12% across the board. Employees would get just one tax break, the child tax credit which would lower their tax burden to 5.5, 5.0, or 4.5 percent of income, depending on how many children the employee has at the beginning of the year, no pun intended. Employers would be allowed to lower their tax burden as little as 10 percent of income by declaring the amount of miles used by company vehicles. Employers will also be rewarded if they refrain from making huge job cuts. There would be no other tax breaks or requirements for American employers and employees. This would decrease tax evasion and simplify tax returns. I would also have zero-based budgeting. After cutting thousands of Executive departments and millions of federal jobs, the remaining departments would have to justify every penny they plan to spend every year. Bob, the American way will be so much easier to achieve when I am president. When other nations see that they can do the same, they will not want to attack the model nation.

Well, Mister Fugate, let me just ask you, if you declare them a currency manipulator on day one, some people are saying you’re just going to start a trade war with China on day one. Is that — isn’t there a risk that that could happen?

When I am president, we will not need to control China’s currency because there will be less trade with them. Our own employers will go back to employing Americans because it will be so easy to do so. We will still trade with China but China will now have to lower its own taxes and deregulate its economy to keep up with America. We will have more Americans employed who can freely choose to buy Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, American, Canadian products or any other products. China will not suffer from this change but they will have to change accordingly.

I think we all love teachers. (Laughter.) Gentlemen, thank you so much for a very vigorous debate. We have come to the end. It is time for closing statements. I believe you’re first, Mr. Fugate.

First, I want to thank you for presiding over this debate, no pun intended. Second, I want to thank the millions of Americans who have and will watch and listen to this debate. Third, I want to thank President Obama for capturing Osama Bin Laden and for being a leading liberal. On November 6, 2012, Americans have a clear choice. They can choose President Obama to get a second term. President Obama will continue to overtax Americans, waste money in Afghanistan, cater to the Muslim Brotherhood, make blunders in foreign policy, and waste taxpayer money on a bloated military. President Obama will also continue to have a unconstitutional law in place that will ruin the world’s best system of healthcare. He will continue to run up trillion-dollar deficits and will continue to burden American employers with horrible regulations. That sounds horrible, that is why I am running.

            The other choice Americans have is Benjamin Fugate. A layman who has not been corrupted by the politics of Washington. A man who plans to make American stronger militarily and economically. A man who plans to cut spending, balance the budget, cut taxes, cut regulations, and cut the size of government. A man who plans to neutralize the threat of Iran within fifteen months. A man who plans to stop wasting taxpayer money on Afghanistan and drones. On November 6, 2012 Americans should choose Benjamin Fugate as their next president, it will be the smartest choice they collectively make since 1984.