Tancredo attacks State Department

GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.) on Tuesday attacked the State Department as being ineffective.

{mosads}His comments were prompted by criticism by the State Department of remarks the lawmaker made during a GOP debate Saturday.

Tancredo said then that the U.S. should threaten to attack the holiest sites for Muslims — Mecca and Medina — to deter terrorists from striking here.

The State Department reacted by calling it “outrageous and reprehensible” to propose an attack on the holy sites of any religion.

Confronted with the statement during an MSNBC interview, Tancredo lashed out, saying that “the State Department is known for its inability to actually run an effective foreign policy” and that he therefore was unfazed by the criticism.

Tancredo also said that candidates finishing in the bottom half of the Republican Iowa straw poll on Saturday should “think twice” about continuing their campaigns.

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson already has declared that he will drop out of the race if he does not finish in the top two.