Allen West to Glenn Beck: I Would Accept a Defense Dept. Position if Offered One
- Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:04pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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Since Saturday the media has been abuzz with commentary, criticism, speculation and in some cases, praise, over Mitt Romney’s choice of running mate — seasoned Congressman of nearly 14 years, Paul Ryan. During Monday morning’s radio broadcast, Glenn Beck welcomed conservative firebrand and freshman Congressman Allen West on the air to share his thoughts on Romney’s pick and explain why the move has energized him for 2012.
West, who is currently engaged in a contentious primary campaign of his own, touted Ryan’s conservative accolades, noting that the budget architect’s limited government principles and fiscal restraint has helped propel him to success in the Tea Party, even if Ryan himself does not claim membership. The Florida congressman also predicted that, if elected, Romney and Ryan will likely assemble a cabinet of highly capable leaders who will fight for national security and conservatism.
When asked if he would consider taking a Defense Department post if one were offered, West didn’t hesitate, stating that he would be a willing and helpful resource on national security. He added, “for me, that [DoD position] is the only job worth having in Washington, D.C.”
West explained that the privilege of “taking care of men and women in uniform” would be “a true honor and [one] I would unequivocally say ‘yes’ to.”
Regarding Mitt Romney’s foreign policy, West observed that the former Massachusetts governor still “needs to flesh more things out” and would do well to surround himself with policy wonks like John Bolton. Beck and his crew then took a moment to bask in the possibility of an Allen West/John Bolton comprised defense cabinet before coming back down to earth to say that while it would be “a dream come true,” the press would be relentless if such appointments were made. In his trademark unapologetic fashion, West simply retorted: “who cares what the media thinks?”
“Americans like winners,” he added, citing the nation’s 104-Olympic medals as proof that whether it’s in sport, geopolitics or the economy, Americans do not like to be “losers” — something West believes liberal progressives are seeking to turn the country into.
“I think liberal progressives don’t like themselves,” he quipped.
Watch the interview below as the ever-candid West delivers his observations on Romney’s running mate and beyond:
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Comments (65)
brknhrt
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:17amWouldn’t trust this guy as dog catcher. Pigford.
Report Post »sharonl
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:51pmWhat an awful thing to say to somoen who has given 20 years of his life to his country.
Report Post »bay horse 1
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:08amWest needs to be in the DOD, down at the Motor Poll in a stripe suit washing tanks and trucks……
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:29amSounds good to me. Although I know the cleaning of this current administration is going to be slow I am looking forward to see it. I am hoping for the Pelosi swamp to step into quicksand.
Report Post »God bless America!
StonyBurk
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:09amshortly after hearing that Mr.Romney chose Paul Ryan for VP I told my wife even as Romney would be
Report Post »much preferred to the Fraud /changling in the White House today -and as he did not choose Mr.Alan West for VP I would equally say I would much prefer a real Leader Like Alan West at the Pentagon than the political appointee put there to purchase his silence on Fast and Furious for our first Muslim President.
franny1951
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:09amI don’t get it. Thousands of us tried to get him to run for POTUS and he said that he owed it to the people of his district to stay put.
Report Post »jocko
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 7:33pmRomney DREAM TEAM
Palin – Dept of Energy
Report Post »West – Dept of Defense
Bolton – Secretary of State – whooee!
Bachmann – Dept of Education or Homeland Security
Alan Keys – UN Ambassador or Dept of Education
Newt Gingrich –
Rand Paul –
Santorum -
desertrat232
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 8:03pmPalin – Dept of Energy
West – Dept of Defense
Bolton – Secretary of State – whooee!
Bachmann – Dept of Education or Homeland Security
Alan Keys – UN Ambassador or Dept of Education
Newt Gingrich –
Rand Paul –
Santorum -
I would put Bachmann as the Attorney General, then on the Supreme Court when a position come open. That’ll drive the “progressives” out of their mind.
Santorum – Sec. of Commerce.
Report Post »Gingrich – Homeland Security
Verceofreason
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 9:34pmBachmann on the SC?
Report Post »This is my favorite comedy site.
getalong
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 9:37pmSounds like a good line up. Off the subject but worth checking out as a perfect example of why entitlement living NEVER works. Go to Mpls. Star/Tribune, July 31, 2012, Twin Cities + region section article entitled: “Waiting her turn for suit’s benefit”, by Steve Brandt. The woman mentioned in the article is the ‘poster child” for why entitlements DO NOT WORK!!!! Thank God Ryan has the guts to go after entitlements. They are out of control especially in Minneapolis!
Report Post »The-Real-Enrico
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 10:11pm@desertrat232 Bachmann on the supreme court may sound great on almost all issues than you check on her position on our freedom over security. I want no one who is willing to throw out our constitutional God giving liberties out over anything in our supreme court.
I like Bachmann but in that kind of power. Check on her voting record on liberty/freedom over security like the patriot act etc.
Report Post »justangry
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 10:20pmBolton gives me the creeps. The man is a disgusting lying pig that cares little to nothing about the men fighting the wars he promotes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4JDX0-Uo1E
Report Post »cassandra
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 6:46amJACKO sounds great to me Allen West Knows the danger of the muslim brotherhood
Report Post »allyoucaneatbaby
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:30amYou didnt list a single sane or intelligent person, wtf is wrong with you people, what planet is this?
Report Post »toto
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:23pmI am older, and I would die happy if all of this came to pass. Allen West would clean out the Muslim scourge that has infected all levels of the Pentagon. Needs to be a wholesale clean out, and all data codes and access changed etc, etc, etc. Why on earth, with a Muslim population in this country that is minuscule, due they already have such power and influence in our government? One word. OBAMA. He is not a friend of the United States, everything he does is designed to diminish America now and in the future.
Report Post »garbagecanlogic
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 7:01pmAND, he would be GOOD one.
Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
Report Post »The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
onestepcloser
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 6:54pmThat would be SWEET!
Report Post »LOJ
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:07pmAllen West would be great as Secretary of Defense…He has proven his military leadership and courage!!!!
Report Post »majasdad
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 6:44pm“He has proven his military leadership and courage!”
WHEN?
Report Post »OKC08GT500
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 6:54pmI would rather see Allen West run for governor of Florida and after a couple of terms run for POTUS.
Report Post »Verceofreason
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 9:36pmHon, Generals are hardly going to take orders from a Col who was drummed out of the military.
Report Post »Are you 12? Learning impaired?
redduke
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:31pmCareful, folks. Allan West was rated very poorly as a freshman congressman. Only a dismal 64% voting record. He voted for every increase in debt and against most cost cutting bills before him. He may talk a good game but he is no conservative.
Report Post »IsThereADifference
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:44pmThe GOP isn’t very conservative. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan aren’t very conservative and the people voting for them are not very conservative. They all don’t seem to realize it though… I wonder if ANY of them have ever heard of the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights…?
Oh yea. That’s right. They have heard of them and view them as obstacles to getting their progressive legislation past.
Report Post »whywonder
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:07pmStrange that west is supporting ryan/romney ticket. They are out there defending a liberal govt program,started by a liberal president LBJ, and then calling themselves conservatives. Guess all you cons here only have liberals to vote for this cycle. Oh the irony!
Report Post »Verceofreason
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 9:37pmWith this site it’s ALL the cult of personality.
Report Post »These rubes still think Palin is electable to something.
The-Real-Enrico
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 9:52pm@redduke You are right. That is one of the main reason I would want him in the Dept of Defense and not continuing as a congressman.
Florida doesn‘t have much of a choice this up coming election in West’s seat but they need to find a new Tea party candidate and fast in the future. West is only better than some but not nearly what we need on deficit and our liberty.
Report Post »The-Real-Enrico
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 10:03pm@Verceofreason That is sadly true. It seems that many who clam to be apart of the conservative/tea party/liberty movement can’t get past some of the personalities.
I would gladly vote for Palin or West over some or most of what GOP throws at us but they are not true to our liberty and truly serious on our debt. We still need to be putting up candidate who are more in line with us up against the any who are slipping.
Report Post »Benjamin Abruzzo
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:50am@Redduke said: “Allan West was rated very poorly as a freshman congressman. Only a dismal 64% voting record. He voted for every increase in debt and against most cost cutting bills before him. He may talk a good game but he is no conservative.”
@isthereadifference said: “Allan West was rated very poorly as a freshman congressman. Only a dismal 64% voting record. He voted for every increase in debt and against most cost cutting bills before him. He may talk a good game but he is no conservative.”
And so on. I have a phrase for you to look up: “Overton Window”, and I don’t mean the novel by Glenn Beck.
It took progressives a century to get here. Dead stop will never happen in out lifetime, 180 degrees will never happen in our children’s lofetime. But we can move toward the goal.
Report Post »Tom K
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:28pmSecretary of Defense Allen West – has a nice ring to it ! How about C.I.A. Director -or- N.S.A. Chief -or- Agency Head for the Dept. of Homeland Security – or- Presidential Press Secretary. ( Lively press conferrences ! ) Colonel West MUST be somewhere important and high profile in the new Romney Administration. West should be invited to speak at the Republican National Convention, too.
Report Post »The-Real-Enrico
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 10:29pmI would love West in anyone of those positions. He needs to be in charge of defense in form or type.
Report Post »ambrosia
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:28pmNot only does West deserve such a role,
our Military DESERVES to have someone like West at their helm.
Yes, his reach is wide, his stance is firm
but he can only be in one place at one time.
We need MORE intelligent, wise, honorable, strong, diplomatic, patriotic
Report Post »Allen West candidates, of every race & creed
to fill the halls of Congress & the Senate and representative offices,
in every village, city & state….
responsible, loyal, American citizens, trustworthy to the core,
to carry on the spirit & legacy of America….STILL the greatest place on earth !
pandora
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:00pmWest is a brilliant choice for a defense position. I hope Romney has that in mind if…wehn he becomes president. Oh, and I will go back to using a capital P when I write the word if he does get elected. Haven’t done that for four years.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:14pmAmen!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:19pmUntil then … PEOPLE IN FLORIDA who live in his district need to vote for him in tomorrow’s primary.
GO WEST! District 22 FL
Report Post »SimpleTruths
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:24pmWell two things:
Report Post »1. That’s disrespectful to the office of the President regardless of who holds the office
2. Don’t bother practicing using the shift key – Romney loses anyway
Creativethinker
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:59pmOkay I just came off of campaigning for the only conservative for the school board in my county. What I mean by that is I personally went out and hung 1600 door hangers. When I ran into people they were very nice. I am going to do it again for Romney/Ryan. I can’t just sit and hope I want to contribute to make it happen.
Report Post »mpfaff
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:52pmLovin’ West!
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:45pmKinda odd how one thinks you can’t really ever change things – for the most part. Then, you start to think about getting a non-Marxist POTUS with a clue, a VP whose competent theory will complement the POTUS’ practicality, and Sec of Def that has proven he’s got a set of stones (when he was Article 15′ed by the candy-assed, Army brass). It gives a guy like me hope – even if only for a fleeting moment.
Report Post »The Sergeant Major
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 6:18pmFront row take a knee! Remember that an article 15 is NON-Judicial punishment! It is not a court martial; please do not get them confused.
And for all you armchair generals or barracks/Schmidt house lawyers remember the classes you had in basic on this issue. LTC West was not tried in a court martial.
So stop all the RUMENT (rumor intelligence) and get back on the mission.
Report Post »Individualism
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:42pmyeah i that would be a position for him given his background but i think Joe Apaio would be even better.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:58pmI would appoint the good sheriff as HEAD OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
Lt. Col. (Ret) Allen West as Secretary of Defense.
Report Post »resme
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:57pm“I would appoint the good sheriff as HEAD OF HOMELAND SECURITY.”
Homeland security needs to be abolished.
Report Post »justangry
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 6:57pm@Resme, YES exactly. Tyranical money pit inconsistent to a free country.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 8:36pmRESME, That sounds like a great idea. Send Joe in there to dismantle the department and clean up Napalitano‘s and her predecessor’s mess.
Report Post »nonofmybiznez
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 8:49pmkickagrandma, you are absolutely right, Arpio would be an excellent replacement for the former Arizona governor as Homeland Secretary. He doesn’t take crap even from the POTUS. A true hero!
Report Post »COREZONE
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:34pmA perfect choice. An American for Americans and America. Gee what a concept. This guy says his mind and doesn’t have to be politically correct. We are getting ready for a change back to what America should be. I can’t wait. Be afraid commies. Be very afraid.
Report Post »Red Meat
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:43pmI heard Mr. Christmas Sweater’s interview of traitor West this AM.
West is a fraud and a progressive RINO. Look at his voting record. Start with Pigford then move on to Grand Compromise on the Continuing Resolution to spend more of your grandkids money.
I wish people would wake up about this guy.
Report Post »AzDebi
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:50pmCouldn’t love that man more! His words make my soul dance! (((((((PLEASE)))))))
Report Post »JSherrillj
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:25pmWould it be great to have Allen West as Secretary of Defense and have a nice little meeting with the high brass that gave him such a bad time for the way he dealt with a prisoner. I’ll buy a ticket to that one.
Report Post »LeadNotFollow
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:24pm…
Report Post »Allen West is perfect for a Defense Department post.
Hope Romney-Ryan win, and have the good sense to appoint West.
Bronco II
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:23pmI was at lunch an got to hear the interview it was awesome.Thanks Glenn for having Alan West on he is such a straight shooter and believe me he is getting my vote tommorrow never had any doubt about him.GOD BLESS HIM and you.
Report Post »code green
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:23pmWest in the DOD and John Bolton for sec. of state would make America alot stronger on the world stage.
Report Post »I am sorry ladies but in todays world termoil with the Islamic threat, sec. of state is NO place for a woman because jihadists don’t respect women in general. Screw the political correct gender experiment.
justangry
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:18pmI would gladly have Allen West as Secretary of Defense. I think he’s more suited to serve in this capacity. He should have never had to look for a different job in the first place.
Report Post »The-Real-Enrico
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 10:19pmI 100% agree with you. Florida need to find another Tea party candidate who is more true to our cause anyway. I truly like West just not his voting as a congressman.
West plays a important role but I don’t think it is in our congress.
They do need to keep him for now though instead of the alternative that they are currently proposing.(who is even more progressive)
Report Post »RANGER1965
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:18pmA breath of fresh air.
Go get em Colonel!
Report Post »GA-TEApartymom
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:10pmAwesome! I would love to see Allen West as the Secretary of Defense. From our lips to God’s ears ….
Report Post »Teaparty-grammy
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:08pmAmen to that! If Romney does not offer him a cabinet-level position, he is missing a bet! Of course before he can do that, he has to shovel his way out of the mountain of crap the Dems are shoveling on top of him, and defeat their PET mountain of crap, the Great Eared One in the election, which won’t be easy, given the Democrat’s tendency to run ads that blatantly LIE about him, and their media lap dogs to REPEAT those lies until way too many of the ignorant sheeple believe them.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:07pmOh! Pretty please.
Report Post »