Rick Santorum told reporters that President Barack Obama should not have apologized to Afghanistan over what U.S officials claim was an accidental burning of Korans at Bagram air base. Santorum told ABC’S “This Week” that Obama should not apologize for what was clearly an accident on the American soldiers part. Santorum also said that “Killing Americans in uniform is not a mistake,’ referring to the two U.S. soldiers killed on Friday. Feb. 24 by insurgents.
The president wrote a letter apologizing to Afghan president Hamid Karzi on Thursday, Feb. 23, after a bundle of Korans were supposedly sent by mistake to burning pit at Bagram air base. In the letter President Obama claimed the burning was inadvertent. The case is currently under investigation.
Much of the Islamic world believes the burning of the Korans was deliberate. Iran cleric Ahmad Khatami claims the U.S soldiers intentionally burned the Korans. Khatami made a speech on Iranian state radio saying “These apologies are fake. The world should know that America is against Islam.” In Pakistan anti-American sentiment is particularly strong. The Pakistani political party known as Jammat-e-Islami staged protests chanting “if you burn the Koran we will burn you.”
Back in Afghanistan westerners are being confined to heavily fortified military bases. Since Friday, Feb. 24, 23 people have been killed over the protests. Early Monday morning a suicide bomber killed an additional 9 people at Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan. Afghan officials said the bombing was revenge for the U.S burning of Korans.
Santorum believes the president’s apology undermines U.S authority in Afghanistan. According to Santorum the apology suggests that U.S soldiers were at fault. Santorum told NBC’S “Meet the Press” that Afghan president Hamid Karzi and the Afghan people should apologize for “killing our men and women in uniform and overreacting to this inadvertent mistake.”
Santorum may simply be attempting to capitalize on the president’s apology for his own political gain. It is clear that the president’s apology has done little or nothing to diminish the anti-American sentiment in the region. Other GOP presidential candidates, including Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, have also criticized the president’s apology but have done so in a more low-key manner.