Kirk Touts National Security Credentials

In a speech Friday, Illinois GOP Senate candidate Mark Kirk argued against a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and pushed instead for oil sanctions to cripple the Iranian regime.

Mark Kirk's pragmatism was on display Friday during a campaign event at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The Republican nominee for governor has yet to be officially decided, however it appears that socially conservative Illinois State Senator Bill Brady will eek out a win over fellow state senator Kirk Dillard. The vote tally from the Feb. 2 primary has Brady leading by less than 300 votes, and Dillard is awaiting the February 23rd deadline when county election officials must send in their results to the state -- which in turn must certify the official results by March 5^th -- but the legal and procedural hurdles suggest that Brady will prevail. The prospect of being on the same ticket with a social conservative didn't really bother Kirk though. Kirk talked to reporters, stating that “On some of the social issues, (Brady and I) don't agree, but this is part of the big tent.” Kirk added that he just might benefit from Brady's ability to appeal to values voters: “I think I'll be strong especially north of I-80. He'll be strong south of I-80. It's a good team.”

These comments came after Kirk, a former State Department employee and a reservist intelligence officer in the Navy, showcased what is sure to be an issue where he score political points off of the comparatively inexperienced Giannoulias: National security. In his address, Kirk dismissed American military involvement in Iran while also arguing that the risks and complications that would accompany a preventative strike by the Israelis make the idea too dangerous, too costly, and too uncertain to achieve the desired outcome. Instead, he argued that the United States should seek to cripple Iran's petroleum imports via sanctions, which Kirk believes would split the Iranian leadership since some would inevitably come to believe the costs of proliferation are too high: "I cannot feed a nuclear weapon to my family," Kirk said. "And therefore it is more important to feed my family than to need nuclear weapons."

A candidate that has a track record of political moderation coupled with unassailable national security credentials can contend in any Senate race, and these attributes are part of what make Kirk such an intriguing and appealing candidate. If he can show off his bonafides at his appearances throughout the campaign as well as he did Friday, he will win the center, and the seat.