Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) fielded the first question of the GOP Debate in Charleston, South Carolina. When he was asked a question about jobs, he took the opportunity to preface his answer by slamming President Barack Obama for ignoring the plight of ten U.S. Navy sailors who had been seized by Iran on Tuesday.
Moderator Maria Bartiromo asked Cruz to respond to President Barack Obama’s contention in the State of the Union address that those talking about an economic decline in America were “peddling fiction.”
Cruz answered:
Let me start–I want to get to the substance of the question on jobs. But I want to start with something. Today many of us picked up our newspapers, and we were horrified to see the sight of ten American sailors on their knees with their hands on their heads. In that State of the Union, President Obama didn’t so much as mention the ten sailors that had been captured by Iran. President Obama’s preparing to send 100 billion dollars or more to the Ayatollah Khamenei. And I tell you, it was heartbreaking. But the good news is: The next commander-in-chief is standing on this stage.
APPLAUSE
And I give you my word, if I am elected president, no serviceman or servicewoman will be forced to be on their knees in any nation that captures our fighting men and women. We’ll field the full force and fury of the United States of America.
APPLAUSE
The sailors were freed Wednesday, after being paraded on Iranian television.
Cruz went to talk about “the Obama/Clinton economy” that “has left behind the working men and women” of America while enriching a circle of cronies in Washington, D.C.
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