Following up on yesterday’s comments, U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo says he was merely speaking figuratively when talking about bombing Islamic holy sites in the event of a nuclear terror attack on American cities:
Colorado U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo said he was talking about deterrence when he raised the possibility of bombing Mecca if Muslim terrorists set off nuclear weapons in American cities.
On a Florida radio show Friday, Tancredo was asked what the response should be to a nuclear attack on U.S. cities. He answered that if fundamentalist Muslims were to blame, “you could take out their holy sites.” When he was asked if he meant bombing Mecca, the congressman said, “Yeah.”
But in a statement issued Sunday, Tancredo said he was talking about a making a threat that might deter such an attack, insisting: “I do not advocate this.”
Speaking figuratively? Slip of the tounge?
Not really, if his refusal to apologize is any indication:
“It’s a tough issue to deal with,” Tancredo told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference. “Tough things are said. And we should not shy away from saying things that need to be said.”
Imprudent at best, Tom. Reckless at the very worst.