Gravel sounds warning on Iran

(Jonathan L. Wiggs, Globe Staff)

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel speaks to the Boston Globe's editorial board.

It was probably the most visible moment of Mike Gravel's quixotic quest for president.

At a Democratic debate, he sternly admonished Hillary Clinton, telling her he was "ashamed" that she voted for a resolution naming Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization -- a resolution that antiwar activists say could be a prelude to war.

"I really meant it," Gravel told the Globe's editorial board this afternoon. "I was just horrified."

While Clinton says she voted for it to strengthen sanctions and diplomatic pressure -- and thus prevent the need for military action -- Gravel doesn't see it that way.

The former US senator from Alaska said while the US won't attack Iran tomorrow, the drumbeat will grow louder and at some point, Iran will be provoked into actions that will be used to justify a military attack. He also downplayed any threat from Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program, saying, "Anybody who has nukes is a threat to world stability. You want to single out Iran? I don't see the logic in that."

Gravel also tried to distinguish himself from other Democrats on healthcare, saying he supports a government-financed system, using a 23 percent consumption tax that would replace income taxes.

But what he really wanted to talk about was what he called the centerpiece of his campaign: a national initiative system in which Americans could raise and legislate any issue they wanted. The idea, he said, is to take power away from a corrupt Congress and federal government and return it to the people.

One major issue that people would address through initiative, he predicted, is to end the war on drugs, legalize marijuana, and allow for the use of hard drugs through prescriptions. The war on drugs, he said, is overcrowding prisons and costing billions that could be better spent elsewhere.

"What are we so uptight about?" he asked.

Asked who he thought would be the toughest Republican for Democrats to face next November, Gravel answered Mitt Romney. His looks, his glib nature, and his packaging make him formidable, Gravel said.

The easiest Republican to beat? Rudy Giuliani, whom Gravel described as "next to a Nazi." Gravel cited the former New York mayor's tough-on-crime actions in office and as a federal prosecutor, plus the police and firefighter unions that oppose Giuliani, but allowed that he was exaggerating.

"He doesn't wear boots," Gravel said of Giuliani. "He likes to go in drag."

But Gravel, describing himself as "a breath of fresh air," said that "tragically" he doesn't see any of his fellow Democrats as a strong candidate, in part because they have all bought into the system.

"We can't take any more politics as usual," he said.