‘We can bring Iran to its knees’: Joni Ernst justifies war at Republican event in Concord

When it comes to the war in Iran, Joni Ernst told a crowd in Concord, she has “skin in the game.”

The U.S. senator from Iowa is a veteran of the early 2000s Operation Iraqi Freedom, widely known as the kind of “forever war” that politicians and voters alike say they want to avoid. Her daughter now serves active duty, and two soldiers from Ernst’s home state were killed in a drone strike in Kuwait last Sunday — and she still thinks American involvement in the war is worth it.

“I truly do believe that what we are engaging in in this operation will bring us greater safety in the long run,” Ernst said. “It hurts today. It hurts significantly today. But what we are trying to do is pave a way for peace in the future.”

Delivering a self-described “somber” speech to Republicans from across New Hampshire on Thursday, Ernst sought to justify U.S. involvement in the overseas conflict as a “noble endeavor” that will secure protection from Islamic terrorism. Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran last Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, counterattacks have expanded to other countries in the Middle East.

Ernst headlined a fundraising dinner for the Concord City Republican Committee on Thursday and was scheduled to speak alongside South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. Graham was unable to attend due to a tight schedule and delayed flights out of Washington, D.C., Ernst said.

Although Ernst went solo, her message on Iran hit home for several people in the crowd.

Beverly Bruce and Hollie Noveletsky, who’s running for Congress in New Hampshire’s first district, said they agreed with Ernst “100%.” President Donald Trump, they said, needed to attack and stop Iran from building nuclear weapons.

“This is our country, and the Iranians have wanted to destroy us” for decades, said Bruce, who’s from the Seacoast. “Their objective is to annihilate Israel and the United States of America.”

Others felt more conflicted about the war.

Michael Michaud, a 19-year-old from Ossipee who came with his dad, wore a blue “America First” hat to what he said was his first-ever political event. He appreciates the action Trump took to kill the Ayatollah, he said, but he doesn’t want another war.

“I feel like the strikes could’ve stopped after that,” Michaud said. “We should not continue to keep on with this.”

Andrew King, a local high-school student, was more on the fence, but he leaned toward trusting what Republican leaders are saying. He said he liked that Ernst, as a veteran and mother of an active-duty service member, has personal experience with the issues she’s voting on in Congress.

“Avoiding a long, drawn-out war like we saw previously in the Middle East and we’ve seen for decades is, I think, many people’s top priorities,” King said. “I think continuing that would be great, but if it’s necessary, it’s necessary.”

And necessary it was, Ernst argued. She accused Democrats of emboldening Iran by trying to curb the president’s war powers. All of New Hampshire’s members of Congress voted for resolutions this week that sought to rein in Trump’s authority to use military force without congressional approval. That measure failed, mostly along party lines.

“I truly believe that the heart of a warrior, that sometimes, gosh darn it, you’ve just got to fight back,” Ernst said. “America has had enough, and we are going to fight back — not an endless war, but we can bring Iran to its knees.”

2028 contenders

With the 2028 presidential primary looming in the distance, prominent politicians on both sides of the aisle are making their way to New Hampshire.

Ernst said she has “no big plans” but noted she plans to make her way back to the Granite State — even if just to see Gov. Kelly Ayotte. The two served in the Senate together from 2015 to 2017.

Ernst is not running for reelection, but she urged U.S. Senate hopefuls Scott Brown and John E. Sununu, who both attended the event, to beat Rep. Chris Pappas for New Hampshire’s open seat this year.

On Sunday, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky will host a meet-and-greet with Merrimack County Democrats in Concord. Other big-name Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former U.S. transportation secretary and one-time presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg have also visited New Hampshire in recent weeks.

‘Better than before’: In Concord visit, Pete Buttigieg asks NH to picture a post-Trump future

The post ‘We can bring Iran to its knees’: Joni Ernst justifies war at Republican event in Concord appeared first on Concord Monitor.