Referring to U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo's (R-CO) recent comment that the United States could use the threat of a strike on Muslim holy sites to deter a nuclear attack by Islamic terrorists, News Radio 740 KVOR host Russ Johnson on the August 7 Afternoon Show agreed with a caller's suggestion that “it would serve a lot of strategic value ... to take out something like Mecca.” After the same caller added, "[A]nd if we were to go ahead and bomb that place, what questions would it put into the mind of Muslims about how powerful Allah is that he could not prevent something like this from taking place?" Johnson replied, “Now, actually, that sounds like a possible reason why we may want to consider this as an option.”

According to CNN's “Political Ticker” website, Tancredo told a group of Iowans on July 31: “If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina.” As the Rocky Mountain News reported on August 6, Tancredo defended “controversial comments threatening to target Muslim holy sites as a deterrent to Islamic terrorism” during an August 5 Republican presidential debate. The News further reported, “Tancredo has said he sees no other way to deter a potential nuclear attack by Islamic terrorists except to threaten to destroy the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina.”

Tancredo's July 31 comment echoed a controversial remark he made in 2005 in which he said that if terrorists struck U.S. cities with nuclear weapons “and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites.”

Later in the Afternoon Show broadcast, after another caller suggested the reason Tancredo “said it was OK” to bomb Muslim holy sites “is because if the terrorists are there hiding behind the skirts of the women in the mosque, then of course you go in to do that, because of his belief that the mosques are a harboring place for terrorists,” Johnson responded, “I definitely agree with that part.”

As Colorado Media Matters noted, Fox News Radio 600 KCOL host Scott James on his August 6 show similarly defended Tancredo's comments by saying Tancredo has “got a point” and “is being a pragmatist about this.”

From the August 7 broadcast of News Radio 740 KVOR's Afternoon Show (Live & Local):

CALLER: Now, I'm also in the military, so let me say it would be against the laws of war to hit what would be deemed a cultural site. So, from that standpoint, there would be possible war-criminal charges that, that he could wind up facing. But beyond that, it would -- it would serve a lot of strategic value to, let's say -- I'm going to just throw this out -- if you were going to take out something like Mecca. Because that is the focal point of Islam and it is thought to be, you know, Allah's favor is on it, and if we were to go ahead and bomb that place, what questions would it put into the mind of Muslims about how powerful Allah is that he could not prevent something like this from taking place?

JOHNSON: Now, actually, that sounds like a possible reason why we may want to consider this as an option.

CALLER: Absolutely.

[...]

JOHNSON: And as I think about this Tom Tancredo story, I think about this, this -- it is experience I had as a youngster where my Dad said, “You take on the bully.” And we've all heard this common wisdom before. But in practicality, in reality, the fact is, it can fail miserably. So, if they attack the United States and we go and bomb their holy sites, are we ready for holy hell? Are we ready, ready for the, the, the apocalypse?

[...]

JOHNSON: Tom Tancredo is standing by his comments. Told a group of Iowans that another terrorist attack on the United States by Islamic fundamentalists would mean that the United States, if he were in charge, would attack holy sites in Mecca and Medina.

[...]

CALLER: The reason he said it was OK to do that is because if the terrorists are there hiding behind the skirts of the women in the mosque, then of course you go in to do that, because of his belief that the mosques are a harboring place for terrorists.

JOHNSON: Well, I definitely agree with that part, and I want to continue the conversation on the other side. Hold on. Let's get to the news. Russ Johnson, KVOR.