GOP Candidate Slams Obama Over 'Empowering' Moscow, Beijing, Tehran

“This president hasn’t just turned a blind eye, he has deliberately empowered the enemy by his actions,” Santorum said during the Iowa State Fair in Des Moins on Saturday.

“He [Obama] has empowered China, he has empowered Russia, he has empowered ISIS [ISIL] and he has empowered Iran,” the GOP candidate added.

Interestingly, the Republican nominee sounded much like Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton who said during her first major campaign speech in New York in June that Russia, Iran and North Korea are “traditional threats” of the United States adding that Washington would also have to “deal with the rise of new powers like China.”

Santorum said if he becomes the next US President, he’ll make sure the Islamic State is defeated. “I will make sure ISIS is not spending their money on weapons – I’ll make sure they’re spending their money on body bags,” Santorum said.

However, Rick Santorum is not the first politician to draw parallels between Russia and the Islamic State jihadist group. In September, for example, US President Barack Obama placed Russia second on a list of key global threats, with the first place given to the spread of Ebola, and the third place – to the threat from ISIL.

Santorum is the seventh Republican candidate to join the GOP race. He will challenge Republican candidates Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee and Carly Fiorina for the presidential nomination.

Rick Santorum served as US Representative from Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district from 1990 until 1994, and as US Senator from 1995 until 2007.