Educating Ron Paul, Part III

The title of my series of posts come from Ron Paul followers who scrambled for damage control after Ron had his ass handed to him by Rudy in the first GOP presidential debate.

Ron Paul is an inconsequential candidate. He is unelectable because he is not to be taken seriously. His understanding of U.S. foreign policy- or lack thereof- will get us all a step closer to living under Sharia Law.

From Wednesday night's debate (via, NYTimes):

One of the evening’s most heated moments came during a prolonged exchange over the war between Representative Ron Paul of Texas, the lone antiwar candidate on stage, and Mr. Huckabee.

Mr. Huckabee found himself in a position that has more typically been reserved for Mr. McCain, mounting a rousing defense of the position of the Republican base in support of the war.

“Well, what we did in Iraq, we essentially broke it. It’s our responsibility to do the best we can to try to fix it before we just turn away.”

But Mr. Paul argued: “The American people didn’t go in. A few people advising this administration, a small number of people called the neoconservatives hijacked our foreign policy. They’re responsible, not the American people. They’re not responsible. We shouldn’t punish them.”

Mr. Huckabee responded: “Congressman, we are one nation. We can’t be divided. We have to be one nation, under God. That means, if we make a mistake, we make it as a single country: the United States of America, not the divided states of America.”

A small number of "neoconservatives hijacked our foreign policy"?!? No wonder so many Ronulans are 9/11 Truthers, and are believers in neocon conspiracies about the North American Union, Security and Prosperity Partnership for North America, and Project for the New American Century.

Regarding Iraq, I seem to recall that this Administration and the previous one made "regime change" in Iraq an American policy; not a "neoconservative" position. Both the majority in the House and in the Senate supported the President in authorizing the war resolution; and the vast majority of the American public also supported going to war.

Ron Paul has been critical of American foreign policy stretching back to the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Were the neocons responsible back then, as well, for "hijacking" American foreign policy?

Huckabee and Paul broke lances further:

REP. PAUL: No! We’ve dug a hole for ourselves and we dug a hole for our party!

We’re losing elections and we’re going down next year if we don’t change it, and it has all to do with foreign policy, and we have to wake up to this fact.

MR. HUCKABEE: Even if we lose elections, we should not lose our honor, and that is more important to the Republican Party.

Whatever happened to "honor"? Staying in Iraq, regardless of the pricetag, because it is the right thing to do. Huckabee invoked the pottery barn rule, earlier: "You break it, you own it."

Huckabee understands the importance of honor. Ron Paul only understands the importance of "saving face" and looking good in the eyes of the world. That's what the blame-America-first hand-wringers do. Qualities unbecoming of a U.S. President.


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Hot Air (see the smackdown video)
Marie's Two Cents
Now for Something Different