From Special Report with Bret Baier | Wednesday, April 4, 2012

On upcoming Republican primaries:

Santorum has to make a decision. He resurrected his career. He is a guy who lost by 17 points in 2006 in the Senate race, and that is why he was considered a marginal candidate all through the beginning [of the primary season]. He was on the wings of the debates. He complained about not getting any questions. And yet, he comes out of the race and emerges as the second strongest guy, which is a resurrection.
The problem is: what’s he doing running again in his home state? He’s only up about six or seven points. He was up by 15 last week. If he loses his home state, he’ll undo all the good he has done. He’s back to the guy that can’t even hold his own state. So everything he has accomplished withers away…
Even if he squeaks out a victory, it doesn’t amount to anything. Romney won his home state by 60 points. So I don’t see any upside here. And I think he really could do himself a favor. I think he has a future if he stepped out graciously and brought the party together…..

On recent reports from anonymous US officials that Israel plans to use an air base in Azerbaijan as a staging area for a strike on Iran’s nuclear program:

The leak came in a magazine attributed to administration intelligence sources, unnamed, in which it said an Israeli attack would use the territory of Azerbaijan, which has close relations with the Israelis. Why? Because for Israel to attack the nuclear facilities in Iran, it’s a long way, and you have to have a lot of refueling and fuel on board, which means you can’t carry a lot of the munitions. If you can do it out of the abandoned Soviet airbases [at Azerbaijan] near Iran on the northern frontier, as we saw on that map, it makes it a lot easier.
The reason the Israelis are extremely upset about this: Some have said it’s not going to happen. It’s not in cards. Others have said it is in the planning — and the United States leaking it, or the government leaking it here, is a way to undermine any Israeli attack.
Because if Israel attacks [Iran], it would be hard for the pilots to return home. But if they land at the airbases at Azerbaijan, they could land, be able to take on new armaments, and return to even have a second attack.
Secondly, the Israelis would be able to station helicopters [in Azerbaijan] as a way to rescue its pilots [shot down in Iran].
So if this is the plan and it’s being leaked, the Israelis have to ask themselves — is the U.S. or at least elements of the U.S. government endangering our plans if and when we have to launch an attack?

On the prospects for a diplomatic resolution to Iran’s intransigence:

When we heard the secretary of state speaking of [Iran’s] increasing isolation — that has been the line we have been using now for years. But the Israelis have said, the Iranians have said, and our director of national intelligence here in America has said that, yes, the sanctions have had an effect on the [Iranian] economy, but they all agree it has had no effect whatsoever on retarding the nuclear program….
There is no chance, there is no indication that Iran has any inclination to slow down or stop its program.