Calling the United Nations "one of the most corrupt organizations," Rep. Zach Wamp told the Pachyderm Club on Monday the U.S. should consider exiting the U.N.
He said to applause, "We sure don't need to send $1.2 billion of U.S. taxpayer money to the U.N. unless they are going to carry out their original charter."
He said he has carried that message personally to President George Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and he said they share his concerns.
He said Russia and China both have ties to Iran that may cause them to veto any resolution imposing sanctions on Iran.
Rep. Wamp said, "Iran is a much bigger threat than Iraq is or ever was. Everything, including our way of life, is at stake."
He called Iran, the Hamas of Palestine and Syria the "Trifecta of Terror," and he said Iran's possible use of nuclear weapons is "a 1-2-year problem, not a 5-10-year problem."
On higher gas prices, he said $100 rebates "are not the answer."
He said oil executives should be held accountable for not gounging prices and he said there should be an extension of tax credits to those working on alternative fuel technologies. He said ethanol production should be ramped up.
He also called for "changing lifestyles and getting rid of gas-guzzling cars."
On immigration protests, he said, "Wamp is a German name and we are all immigrants. But if we don't have rule of law, we do a great disservice to this nation."
He said it is "not plausible to round up 12 million illegal immigrants," but he said steps should be taken to secure the border "so the number does not reach 25 million."
He said he favors setting up "a path to citizenship" for those already here.