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Opponents attack Schock over nuclear missiles idea
By Mike Riopell
mike.riopell@lee.net
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SPRINGFIELD -- Congressional hopeful Aaron Schock took heat Thursday from his Republican opponents for suggesting the U.S. should consider selling nuclear missiles to Taiwan.

In a speech at an campaign event last month, the state representative from Peoria said China must sanction Iran in order to help stop its nuclear program. If not, he said, the U.S. government could sell nuclear weapons to Taiwan to get China's attention.

''If China continues to be irresponsible about nuclear proliferation in Iran, we should tell them that if they do not care about proliferation … we will sell Pershing nuclear missiles to Taiwan for their defense,'' the speech read, according to campaign materials.

Schock is one of three Republicans running to replace U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood in the 18th Congressional district, which includes areas just north of Decatur, as well as parts of Tazewell and Woodford counties.

Fellow Republicans John Morris and Jim McConoughey criticized Schock for the policy suggestion Thursday.

Morris, a former Peoria City Council member, said Schock's mention of selling nuclear missiles to Taiwan was the first he had heard of such an idea.

''Giving away nuclear weapons is completely irresponsible,'' he said in a statement.

Morris added that the U.S. should continue to explore diplomatic relationships with Iran, as well as keep troops in Iraq to win the war there and show military strength.

McConoughey, an economic development leader from Dunlap, called two news conferences Thursday to pounce on the 26-year-old candidate. McConoughey said Schock had a ''lack of maturity'' and called his statement ''serious and reckless.''

''This isn't a Ronald Reagan idea. It's a Dr. Strangelove idea,'' McConoughey said.

Schock's campaign shot back at McConoughey.

''The people are tired of cynical candidates who run for office while avoiding dealing with our nation's challenges while problems get worse,'' a Schock statement said.

Schock also hedged his comments about nuclear weapons Thursday in the same released statement.

''The Chinese are hard to move diplomatically. The one thing that gets their attention is Taiwan,'' he said, adding, ''I do not want to sell nuclear weapons to Taiwan, I want China's cooperation in dealing with Iran.''

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Reader comments on this story - 7 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Alarm Clock wrote on Nov 9, 2007 6:31 PM:

" Schock is waaayyyyyy out his depth to be a member of the US House of Representatives. "

Huh? wrote on Nov 9, 2007 2:11 PM:

" ''The people are tired of cynical candidates who run for office while avoiding dealing with our nation's challenges while problems get worse,'' and he thinks arming a nation with nuclear weapons will make our nation's problems better? I think China will soon fall apart. We, as Americans, are getting fed up with thier poor quality products. I think very soon we will be hit with a "buy American" sentiment in this country. "

Jon wrote on Nov 9, 2007 2:04 PM:

" This is why we don't leave our foreign policy to twenty-somethings. "

to FYI wrote on Nov 9, 2007 6:34 AM:

" Yeah, that's just the precedent we want to set... "

FYI wrote on Nov 9, 2007 12:41 AM:

" What's the difference between Taiwan and Israel? Both allies, but one is pretty much another Cuban missile crisis situation for China. China has nukes, but the Arabs near Israel don't...yet. We didn't hesitate to recognize the Russian republics formally, as the USSR fell apart. China should be treated the same way, because their citizens all yearn to be free from Communism. The only real hope the Taiwanese have is for China to convert to Democracy. Nuclear cruise missiles in Taiwan would give them a chance to whipe out the bad guys. It would bring alot of jobs back to America. "

Dawn wrote on Nov 8, 2007 6:44 PM:

" I think Mr. Schock is insane. If we make China too angry they may start a war with us. And, that could be very bad, especially when one considers that fact that we no longer have the capacity to make our own supplies. Do you think that the big red giant would be magnanimous enough to continue selling us their equipment so that we could fight them? "

Click, click, boom wrote on Nov 8, 2007 6:10 PM:

" There's plenty of Minutemen pointed at beijing without Tapei getting involved. "
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