Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum says the United States would be perfectly justified in striking North Korea if it feels Kim Jong Un is about to unleash nuclear weapons.
“You have a crazy man, someone who should not be in charge of a basketball team much less a country and doing all of these frightening things,’’ Santorum told Newsmax TV’s “The Steve Malzberg Show.’’
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“If the North Koreans are specifically doing things that are leading up to a strike, a defensive strike would be in order.
“I can’t say I have the knowledge … about where they are and what our intelligence shows. But if we believe that they’re going to actually use these weapons, then we have a right to protect ourselves.’’
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On Wednesday, the North Korean army said it had “final approval’’ to launch a “merciless” military assault on the U.S. with its “cutting-edge” nuclear weapons.
Santorum, who lost out to Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential last year, compared North Korea’s escalating saber-rattles with Iran’s ongoing threats involving its own nuclear capabilities.
“The leaders there may be even more crazy because they are driven by a radical theology, not just the whim of the moment,’’ he said.
“They are even more explicit about using these weapons against our allies, even the North Korea.’’
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