At nights, the details of what happened in San Bernardino are still unclear. But our prayers are with the families of those who were murdered and those who were shot. And all of us are deeply concerned that this is yet another manifestation of terrorism. Radical islamic terrorism here at home. Coming on the wake of the terror attack in paris, this horrific murder underscores that we are at a time of war. Whether or not the Current Administration realizes it or is willing to acknowledge it, our enemies are at war with us. And i believe this nation needs a wartime president to defend it. [applause] in recent weeks president obama traveled abroad to explain that he doesnt believe in American Leadership. That he doesnt believe in america winning, quote, i dont have time for that. Ive got to say, fdr and jfk and Ronald Reagan were spinning in their graves to hear an american president say he doesnt believe in American Leadership or america winning. Ill tell you, when it comes to radical islamic terrorism, i thing our strategy to borrow a page from Ronald Reagan the cold war, should be very simple. We win, they lose. [applause] and there are three things the next president should do. To keep this nation safe. The first is speak the truth. [applause] the truth has power. And at this point, the politically correct double speak that comes from the Obama Administration has gone beyond the point of ridiculous. When the president stands up and says, the Islamic State isnt islamic, thats just nutty. [applause] we need a president who will call the enemy by its name. Radical islamic terrorism, and we will defeat it. [applause] theres a power to speaking the truth. Back when israel was facing daily rocket fire with hamas, i joined with new york democrat Kirstin Gillibrand in introducing a resolution condemning ham mass use of human shields as a war crime. [applause] that resolution passed both houses of congress unanimously, as we came together to speak the truth. Likewise, following the terrorist attacks that occurred in fort hood over five years ago, the Obama Administration refused to speak the truth, refused to acknowledge that nadal hassan, who communicate kit with a known radical cleric who asked about the permissibility of waging jihad against his fellow servicemen, who in walking through fort hood, murdering 14 innocent souls, yelled out, allahu akbar. Ed a he committed the act of terrorism. The Obama Administration inexplicably characterized that instead as workplace violence. One of the thing im most proud about my tenure in the senate i introduced the legislation to mandate that the purple heart by awarded to those soldiers who were murdered. The obama pentagon fought tooth and nail against that legislation, yet im proud to say on the Senate Armed Services committee i was able to earn the support of republicans and democrats. We pass evidence it into law in december and in april. I was at the ceremony where those purple hearts were awarded to each of the family members. I simply shocked their hand, looked them in the eyes and said, im sorry. Im sorry it took five years. To acknowledge the sacrifice of your loved one. When it comes to speaking the truth, this administration does precisely the opposite. We have a president right now who at times operates as an apologist. For radical islamic terrorists. I dont use that word lightly. The word apologist has a very specific meaning. Someone that gives a rationalization, justification, for the conduct. I was at the last National Prayer breakfast. Youll recall the day before isis had lit a jordanian pilot on fire. The king of jordan, who was supposed to attend the prayer breakfast, had to fly back to jordan, and president obama gave a speech in which he said, yes, isis commits terrorist attacks. But so do christians and so do jews. And even invoked the crusades and the inquisition. Now, the last i checked, those ended about 900 years ago. And i dont think its asking too much for the president of the United States to stay in the current millennium. [applause] and the argument this is just like the crusades and the inquisition is exactly the argument that isis and the terrorists use, and it is not beneficial, nor is it beneficial when the secretary of state, john kerry, you know him well. Suggests some months ago that israel could become an apartheid state. Or when the secretary of state, john kerry, also says that the terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo was understandable. The United States of america should not be trying to rationalize radical islamic terrorists. I tell you, when john kerry was nominated, only three senators voted against his confirmation, never have i been prouder to have been in that gang of three. [applause] and when kerry called israel an apartheid state, i went to the senate floor and called for kerrys resignation, and when he [applause] and i would note that we need more senators, both republicans and democrats, that likewise call for accountability when the secretary of state uses language that undermines the safety and security of our allies. [applause] and thats the second thing we need to do. We need to stand by our allies. All of us knew early in the Obama Administration, there were warning signs when in the opening weeks the president sent back to the unite kingdom the bust of winston churchill. That was just a foreshadowing of things to come. After seven years we have not seened a administration more antagonist stick and hostile to the nation of israel in the entire history of this country. If id have suggested to you six years ago that the elected Prime Minister of israel would come to america, would address a joint session of congress, and he would be boycotted by the president of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, and every member of the cabinet, our friends in the media would have dismissed that as crazy conspiracy talk. That would never happen. I tell you, on the eve of that speech i organized a Panel Discussion to discuss the threat of the Iranian Nuclear deal. Elly wanted that to be a bipartisan discussion. So i invited one democrat after another democrat after another democrat after another democrat. We invited roughly a dozen democrats and not a single democrat was willing to stan on the stage discuss the Iranian Nuclear deal. I will tell you it was truly humbling and powerful to be on that stage with a man who has seen the face of evil and can speak truth, with a moral gravity that when elly said, as he did, that never again must mean never again, and the one threat of that happening is a nuclear iran. [applause] we need a president who will stand unapologetically, with the nation of israel. When hamas murdered three israeli teenagers, i joined with number democrat bob menendez to introduce legislation providing a 5 million decide reward for information lead ago to the capture of the terrorists who had kidnapped and murdered one of the three. Neftali was a dual sailory citizen. That legislation passed the senate unanimously, thankfully they captured the terrorists before the house could take it up. Just in the past couple of weeks i put together a Bipartisan Coalition of some 30 senators 0 write to the eu, to oppose their plan to require labeling on products coming out of israel. [applause] and i have pledged if im eeighted president , on the very first day in office, we will begin the process of moving northwestern embassy to jump, the once and eternal capital of israel. [applause] and let me tell you now, as we see the global movements, unfortunately get more and more momentum behind it, in a cruz administration, any university that supports the bdfs movement will find its federal funds stripped away. [applause] the third thing we need is we need to defeat our enemies. Not to weaken them. Not to degrade them. But to defeat them. Two years ago, a nation of iran named their ambassador to the united nations. A known terrorist who participated in Holding Americans hostage. Everyone in this town wrung their hands and said, this is terrible. Theres nothing we can do. I introduced legislation barring him and other nope terrorist from coming to america. It passed the senate 100 to nothing. Passed the house 435 to nothing and president obama signed it into law. [applause] part of defeating araneisms is understanding who they are. And nat means not going down the misguided Foreign Policy of barack obama and Hillary Clinton and unfortunately too many republicans in this town. In 2009, Hillary Clinton and barack obama led the effort to top then government in libya. The consequence of that, lib glass been handed over to radical islamic terrorists fighting in a war zone. Shortly thereafter, the Obama Administration led the effort to topple mubarak in egypt. The consequence of that, the Muslim Brotherhood, terrorist organization, became the government in egypt. And now we see the Obama Administration with the support of politicians in both parties, trying to topple the government in syria with no plan for what will replace it. If we are to defeat our enemies, we need to be cleareyed. That toppling a government and allowing radical islamic terrorists to take over a nation is not benefiting our National Security interests. Putting isis or al qaeda or the Muslim Brotherhood in charge of yet another state in the middle east is not benefiting our National Security. Instead we need a president who focuses clearly and says we will utterly destroy isis. Block who makes abundantly clear to any militant on the face of the earth, if you go and join isis, wage jihad against the United States of america, you are signing your death warrant. And then finally, we have the Iranian Nuclear deal. If i am elected president , i have pledged on the very first day in office to written to shreds this catastrophic rainan Iranian Nuclear deal. [applause] at some of these republican debates there have been other republican candidate for president who said, gosh, thats not a very sophisticated approach. You dont understand, we need to wait and see if we can trust the iranians. Let me tell you what. I do trust the iranians. When the Ayatollah Khamenei burns american and israeli flag and says, death to america, i trust him that he means it. And i believe in peace through strength. [applause] we are facing a moment like munich in 1938, and president obama, like chamberlain, has come back from tehran promising peace in our time. Yet history has not been kind to those who have facilitated the gathering storm of homicidal maniacs who tell us they want to kill us. The next president needs to have the fortitude to say to the Ayatollah Khamenei in no sun certain terms, either you will stop your Nuclear Weapons program or we will stop it for you. [applause] and i want to give a word of hope and encouragement on all of this. Ive said many times, this election, this moment in time, is eerily similar to the late 1970s. The parallels between barack obama and jimmy carter are uncanny. The same failed economic policies, the same misery, stagnation and malaise, the same feckless and naive Foreign Policy, in fact the exact same countries, russia, and iran. Openly laughing at and mocking the president of the United States. I believe this next election, 2016, is going to be an election like 19 80. Were going to win by painting in bolt colors and not pale pastels. The manifest failures of the Carter Administration set the stage for the reagan revolution, which came from millions of americans across this country. It was a grassroots movement. It didnt come from washington. Washington despised reagan. It came from the American People and it transformed this country and the word of optimism i will give you is the same thing is happening all over this country. People are waking up incredibly, when it comes to Foreign Policy, the difference a strong president can make is underscored by the simple fact that this very same nation, the nation of iran, released our hostages the day Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. Happy to answer or dodge any question you like. First of all, senator, thank you. On behalf of the Republican Jewish Coalition [applause] this is great. Ive never got an standing ovation before. Ive got a couple of questions. We have been collecting questions over the last couple of of weeks, and ive curated a bunch of them, but one of the things that come ups, and my apologies in advance for this comparison but a number of people have asked that much has been made of barack obama coming into office as a first, term senator with no Foreign Policy experience. How do you respond to those who raise the same concerns about you . Well, ill say two things. When the media asked, gosh, arent you like barack obama, my reaction to reporters is irthought you thought that was a good thing. Last i checked he won two president ial elections. And listen, barack obama is not a bad president because he was a senator. Barack obama is a bad president because he is an unmitigated socialist who wont stand up and defend the United States of america. [applause] but theres a broader point in this. If you look in the last 50 years, and at the two moments that had the greatest impact on human liberty, would suggest it was in 1980, election of Ronald Reagan and in 2008, the election of barack obama, the first in a very positive way, the second in a very negative way. They both shared something in common. Both reagan and obama believed profoundly in their principles they had the courage to fight for them. When bone broken said he wanted to transform this country, he meant it. And the damage that has been done in the last seven years is enormous, and i believe the only way town do the damage is as republicans we need to nominate a candidate for president who is committed to conservative principles as barack obama is to liberal principles. [applause] this dovetails into the next question, which is how would you convince staunchly pro choice voters who love your views on security, on an israel, they can still be pro choice and vote for you. Well, thats a question that comes up a lot, and the simple reality is, to win. Every one of us wants to win. At this point, desperately and its not just a question of our team winning. Its a question of saving this country. I believe the stakes have never been higher than they are right now. That we are at the edge of a precipice where bankrupting our kids and grandkids, the safety and security of this country, is hanging in the balance. And if we continue another four, eight more years down the road we will lose this country. So we should all look with a stonecold seriousness at how we win. Now in washington, there are Political Consultants who tell us over and over and over again the way you win is you run to the middle. And this is no longer an abstract theory. We have now beta test evidence this theory. And every time we follow that advice we get clobbered. It doesnt work, and the reason it doesnt work is very simple. If you compare 2004, the last race we won nationally, to 2008 and 12, the biggest difference is the millions upon millions of conservative vote whore showed up in 04, who stayed home in 08 and stayed home in bigger numbers in 12. And i believe if were going to win, the central question in this general election is how do you motivate and inspire and bring back to the polls the 54 million evangelical christians who stayed home in 2012. How do you motivate and brick back to the polls the reagan democrats, the blue collar catholics, across the midwest, and up into new england, who stayed home in the polls. And we one thing that is abundantly clear is if we nominate another candidate in the moldd, nt a bob dole, or a john mccain, or a mitt romney, all of whom are good, honorable, decent men marks love this country, but what they did didnt work. And if we do it again, the same millions of voters who stayed home in 08 and 12 will stay home in 16 and hillary becomes the next president. So how do we win . If you look since world war ii, the only republicans who have ever won have run on all three legs of the conservative stool. They have run as fiscal conservatives, social conservatives and National Security conservatives. If you chop off one of those legs, we dont get to 51 . And so the trick is to speak in a way that energizes, so, for example you asked about the question of life. I telephone you the context in which i most like to discuss life and that is the Little Sisters of the poor. A Catholic Charity of nuns who have taken vows of poverty. They spend their lives caring for the poor and elderly, and right now the Obama Administration is litigating against the Little Sisters of the poor. Trying to force the nuns to pay for abortion inducing drugs and others, and ive joked many times, a really good rule of them, if youre litigating against nuns, you probably have done something wrong. If we focus on values that unify us, that bring us together, bring back jobs and growth and opportunity, defending our Constitutional Rights and restoring americas leadership in the world, that in 1980, is how the reagan revolution rows up. Its what brought millions of people to the polls who had never voted again and its what were seeing happening now. There is a reason why in six months, we have had over 500,000 contributions at ted cruz. Org. Our average contribution is 63. There is a reason why when we do rallies, a couple of weeks ago we were in kalamazoo michigan, 9 00 a. M. , monday morning, in a hockey rink 800 people came out. Almost all reagan democrats. Irish catholic, union members, working men and women, the people getting hammered by the obama economy. If were going to win, we run a populist campaign of hard, working men and women who want to believe again in the promise of america, and we run it against the bipartisan corruption of washington that Hillary Clinton embodies, and let me say one final thing. Which is i cannot wait to stand on a debate stage with Hillary Clinton. Reagan understood that you win elections by making choices that are meaningful choices. You dont blur the difference. Theres a rope theres only one republican in the last 50 years who has a group of democrats named after him. Reagan democrats. We need to nominate a candidate who has the clarity to stand up and say, if you vote for Hillary Clinton, you are voting for the Ayatollah Khamenei to have Nuclear Weapons. And if you vote for me, iran will never have Nuclear Weapons. And if you vote for Hillary Clinton, you are voting for 12 Million People who are here illegally to be granted amnesty. If you vote for me, we will secure the border and stop illegal immigration. If you vote for hillary, you are voting for obamacare to be a permanent feature of our economy and perpetuity. If you vote for me, we will repeal every word of obamacare. That i believe is how we win with a cheerful, clear, meaningful distinction that makes a difference to working men and women across this country. Thank you, senator. [applause] thank you. Im from the federal government, here to help you. So, the rjc is 30 years old, right . You never looked better. You dont look a day over 20. Dont you feel like youre more relevant than ever . Dont you feel like that what you have been trying to del people is coming