Town Hall Debate - Israel: If Iran attacked Israel, would...

Question: Senator, as a retired Navy chief, my thoughts are often

with those who serve our country. I know both candidates -- both of

you expressed support for Israel. If, despite your best diplomatic

efforts, Iran attacks Israel, would you be willing to commit U.S.

troops in support and defense of Israel? Or would you wait on

approval from the U.N. Security Council?

SEN. MCCAIN: Well, thank you, Terry, and thank you for your

service to the country.

I want to say, everything I ever learned about leadership I learned

from a chief petty officer. And I thank you. And I thank you, my

friend. Thanks for serving.

Let, let, let me say that we obviously would not wait for the

United Nations Security Council. I think the realities are that both

Russia and China would probably pose significant obstacles. And our

challenge right now is, the Iranians continue on the path to acquiring

nuclear weapons. And it's a great threat.

It's not just a great threat to the state of Israel. It's a

threat to the stability of the entire Middle East. If Iran acquires

nuclear weapons, all the other countries will acquire them too. The

tensions will be ratcheted up.

What would you do if you were the Israelis, and the president of

a country says that they are, they are determined to wipe you off the

map; calls your country a stinking corpse?

Now, Senator Obama, without precondition, wants to sit down and

negotiate with them, without preconditions. That's what he stated,

again, a matter of record.

I want to make sure that the Iranians are put enough -- that we

put enough pressure on the Iranians by joi