When it comes to his assessment of world leaders, Sen. Marco
Rubio isn't pulling any punches: Russia's run by a "gangster" and
North Korea a "lunatic."
The 2016
Republican presidential candidate made a foreign policy speech Friday morning
in South Carolina, in which he riffed on his unvarnished opinions on various
enemies of the United States.
His harshest
words were reserved for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Russia is
governed today by a gangster," Rubio said. "He's basically an
organized crime figure who controls a government and a large territory. ...
This is a person who kills people because they're his political enemies. If
you're a political adversary of Vladimir Putin, you wind up with plutonium in
your drink or shot in the street."
He also called
Russia one of the top five threats to the United States, saying "we have a
gangster running the largest nuclear stockpile in the world."
The others were
North Korea, China, Iran and "jihadists" around the world.
What about North
Korean leader Kim Jong Un?
"In North
Korea, a lunatic possesses dozens of nuclear weapons, and a long-range missile
that can hit the United States," Rubio said.
And Rubio had
harsh words for Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, especially on the heels of
President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with the country, currently being weighed
by Congress.
"Iran: A radical,
Shi'ite cleric is going to develop a nuclear weapon, and he will also have a
long-range missile that can hit the United States," Rubio said.
As for other
adversaries, Rubio noted that Argentina is increasingly moving toward other
South and Latin American countries that have become anti-American, including
Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.
"Argentina
seems to be wanting to join them, at least as long as this lady is running the
country."
Cristina
Fernández de Kirchner is the president of Argentina.
Rubio said the
common thread among the greatest threats to the U.S. is they are all
totalitarian regimes, which is why the U.S. should do more to spread democracy.
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