--- title: Undercard GOP Debate Has Clear Focus: Islam description: National security was the stated subject of Tuesday night’s debate among also-ran Republicans. In reality, the forum was about Muslims. canonical: https://time.com/4150791/republican-debate-undercard-islam/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-16T01:23:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T13:24:37.581Z article:section: Politics og:title: Undercard GOP Debate Has Clear Focus: Islam og:description: National security was the stated subject of Tuesday night’s debate among also-ran Republicans. In reality, the forum was about Muslims. og:url: https://time.com/4150791/republican-debate-undercard-islam/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89eb1f9e57b53ee5/698875893c16397c1345b351/501493474.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: GOP Presidential Candidates Debate In Las Vegas og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Undercard GOP Debate Has Clear Focus: Islam twitter:description: National security was the stated subject of Tuesday night’s debate among also-ran Republicans. In reality, the forum was about Muslims. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89eb1f9e57b53ee5/698875893c16397c1345b351/501493474.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republican Undercard Debate Has Clear Focus: Islam > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Dec 16, 2015 1:23 AM UTC  George Pataki, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Sen. Lindsay Graham are introduced during the CNN presidential debate at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 15, 2015. George Pataki, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Sen. Lindsay Graham are introduced during the CNN presidential debate at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 15, 2015. Ethan Miller—Getty Images  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Dec 16, 2015 1:23 AM UTC National security was the stated subject of Tuesday night’s debate among four also-ran Republican White House hopefuls. In reality, however, the forum was a 104-minute discussion of Islam and its adherents. The conversation in Las Vegas came as Republican frontrunner Donald Trump continues calling for a ban on all Muslim immigration into the United States. The leader in the polls has drawn criticism for his aggressive—and potentially illegal—moves against an entire faith and its billion adherents. Three of the four Republicans on stage in the undercard debate seemed to go along with Trump’s rhetoric against Islam. After all, it’s been good for Trump’s polling. “We have entered World War III, and we have a leader who refuses to identify it,” former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania said. “The enemy is a theocracy,” he added. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, said it’s time to pause immigration in the name of security and said the government’s job is not “to protect the reputation of Islam.” Instead, the government should be free to infiltrate mosques to monitor for sermons calling for extremism. “If Islam is as wonderful and peaceful as its adherents say, shouldn’t they be begging us all to come … so we all convert to Islam?” And former George Pataki, the Governor of New York when al-Qaeda attacked on 9/11, linked a likely bomb hoax in Los Angeles schools hours earlier was tied to radical Islam—despite no public indication that jihadists were behind it. “As we saw today in L.A., we are at a crisis in our country. Radical Islam poses a threat to our safety not just overseas, but literally in every community in America,” Pataki said. **Read Next:** [_Here Are All of the 2015 Presidential Debate Stages_](http://time.com/4149527/2015-presidential-debate-stages/) Only Sen. Lindsey Graham, a hawkish South Carolinian, seemed willing to defend the religion. Instead, he begged his rivals to keep the focus on radical Islam, not the billions of Muslims who have shown no animosity toward the United States. “Leave the faith alone,” Graham said, adding that every time someone pitches the United States as at war with Islam, ISIS uses it as a recruiting tool. It was a clear distinction among the quartet that has struggled in the polls and is heading toward Iowa’s Feb. 1 caucuses badly trailing their rivals. As a sign of how badly they’re doing, they couldn’t even qualify for the main stage with Trump. Hoping to capture some of Trump’s mojo, they seemed to embrace his anti-Muslim and anti-Islam rhetoric. “Islam is different. This is going to come as a shock to people,” said Santorum, who has long be critical is Islam’s power in global affairs. “Islam is not just a religion. It is a political governing structure.” The winner of Iowa’s caucuses in 2012, and later the runner-up to eventual nominee, said voters should use some logic. “All jihadists are Muslims. That’s a reality,” Santorum said. “We have to stop worrying about offending some people and start worrying about defending all Americans.” At another point, Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, said the fight was “a religious war between radical Islam and the rest of the world.” And Pataki mistakenly called Trump “this President” as though he were already in power. Graham’s frustration was visible. “You’re once again shaking your head, Sen. Graham,” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer said. Graham shook his head, stared at the ceiling, bit his lip and inspected his shoes at different moments. The foreign policy hawk who has made 36 trips to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, Graham tested his patience in keeping cool. Repeatedly, Graham chided his peers. “You’re not going to win that way, Rick,” Graham told Santorum of his strategy in Syria. “If you don’t understand that, you’re not ready to be Commander in Chief.” Graham yet again demonstrated his mastery of foreign affairs. Yet he has never gotten a polling bump after stellar debate performances. It’s not clear Tuesday night’s forum on the Las Vegas Strip would be any different. Still, Graham is continuing to push his plans, including sending 10,000 troops to Syria. “I don’t just make this up,” he said. “We’re at war, folks,” he added after another exchange. “They’re not trying to steal your car. They’re trying to kill us.” That’s not to say Graham is soft on ISIS: “These people are religious Nazis.” **Read Next:** [_Lindsey Graham Turns The Princess Bride Into Debate Point_](http://time.com/4150787/republican-debate-princess-bride/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4150791/republican-debate-undercard-islam/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4150791/republican-debate-undercard-islam/"},"headline":"Republican Undercard Debate Has Clear Focus: Islam","datePublished":"2015-12-16T01:23:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:24:37.581Z","description":"'Leave the faith alone,' Graham says","url":"https://time.com/4150791/republican-debate-undercard-islam/","keywords":["Debates","republicans","Muslims","Islam","rick santorum","mike huckabee","Donald Trump","2016 Campaign","Lindsey Graham","George Pataki"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89eb1f9e57b53ee5/698875893c16397c1345b351/501493474.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Philip Elliott","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89eb1f9e57b53ee5/698875893c16397c1345b351/501493474.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GOP Presidential Candidates Debate In Las Vegas","caption":"GOP Presidential Candidates Debate In Las Vegas","creditText":"Ethan Miller—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/debates/","name":"Debates"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4150791/republican-debate-undercard-islam/","name":"Republican Undercard Debate Has Clear Focus: Islam"}}]}] ```