In the Jerusalem speech, Romney defended a hard-line stance on Iran as a deterrent to war, rather than a desire to start one.

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Some companies that have chosen to draw lines in the sand have reported extremely positive bottom-line impact as well as a long-term deterrent to frivolous lawsuits.

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However, he says the best deterrent is still a simple one: "The best line of defense to defend your house is having an alarm sign in front, " he says.

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Still more dangerously, by treating nuclear weapons as just another explosive in the arsenal, rather than as a deterrent weapon of last resort, America would dangerously blur the line against nuclear use by anyone.

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