Rand Paul isn’t just like every other Republican
And, perhaps, a bit of election strategery.
Full disclosure: For the first time in 16 years, I donated money to a presidential candidate. With bitcoin. Obviously, it was Rand Paul. I don’t expect him to win. But I want him in the race for as long as possible because he’s the only candidate in either party that emphasizes liberty. And his stances on NSA spying and government regulation need to be heard over and over.
On this issue, he’s sort of right. And, due to withdrawal by the current administration, it was magnified. It was also a loaded question based on a false premise and Paul took the bait.
May 28th, 2015 at 6:46 pm
I really like Rand, but I think his answer to every Foreign Policy question is “we should butt out”. To a large extent I agree with him, but there can be a point where to butt-out is a death pact.
If we had real intel that ISIS had a suitcase nuke in Juarez and were boasting they were about to detonate in El Paso…would Rand cross the boarder to stop them? What if they were in Toronto about to cross the Peace Bridge into Buffalo?
I don’t think we can let the enemy know, that under no circumstances will we cross our border to stop them.
OTOH, I would love for a candidate to announce they WILL prosecute members of a former administration for criminal and unconstitutional acts. Rand could be that guy.
May 28th, 2015 at 6:50 pm
Well, my foreign police requirement consists of “will kill terrorists”. I think he’d manage that.
May 28th, 2015 at 7:02 pm
Totally with you on that. I just would like him to say it. If he has, I missed it.
May 28th, 2015 at 8:06 pm
My foreign policy is what should have been done on 9/12/01, STOP LETTING THEM IN AND STOP BRINGING THEM HERE. Them being anyone from any country from whence jihadists hail. Remember, the 9/11 Saudii hi-jackers were allowed to enter, stay and learn to fly planes!! And the borders were left OPEN!! Beyond that, We should go to war CONSTITUTIONALLY by a Congressional Declaration of War against a named enemy, NOT a tactic, terrorism!!! IF the enemy is a non-state group, the President ASKS for a letter of Marque and Reprisal.
BTW, according to the so-called Patriot Act, we’re all potential terrorists and, along with the DHS, they comprise a police-state apparatus. And from Bush to Obama, the only CHANGE is MORE. Our liberties, the Bill of Rights, are under attack–from Washington D.C.
May 28th, 2015 at 8:07 pm
The Gramps McCain’s and Clinton types are really one and the same when it comes to spilling American blood and killing hadjis. They are all in favor of increasing the size of the US government and building laws that restrict those pesky voters. War is their mantra.
Anyone seen the pics of McCain with those “moderate” mohamedeans that he wanted to arm? Anyone heard him stump in DC for giving these peace loving savages crew served weaponry?
Leadership in Congress/State/Senate knew we were gathering literally tons(several HUNDRED tons) of Libyan weapons to ship to ISIS. That little Bengazi boondoggle was directly related to the plans of the Brits and the US intelligence agencies.
Rand is onto the right track. Let the locals kill each other until they get tired of the violence. Of course history shows us that there is essentially no chance that the followers of Mo will stop killing each other.
May 28th, 2015 at 8:37 pm
Sounds good, Jim. When I would hear the interventionists say, ” we gotta fight’em over there, so we don’t gotta fight’em here” , my reply was and is, “and how do they get here?” Going back to just after the Gulf War and continuing to now, our government has either let’em come or even brought them here!!! When I read the Constitution, Article III, Section 3 and Article IV, Section 4, that “extreme and dangerous” foreign policy ( what interventionists say about Paul’s position) is defined as “treason”. That’s the Constitution’s word, not mine.
May 29th, 2015 at 9:57 am
Goes to show you how much power the press has, and how well its followers will baaaaaaaa their way to the voting booth.
May 29th, 2015 at 9:58 am
I like Rand in the Senate He is good on 4 th amendment stuff. But as President he has killed himself. You don’t blame the the party (GOP) for ISIS. That is the party whose nomination he is seeking. It was Obama that gave weapons to Iraq and kept insisting that Iraqi will do the fighting. It was obvious that the Shites of Maliki would not. They ran in Mosul and again in Ramadi. Plus the GOP wanted to keep forces in Iraq to prevent the country from insurgency and terrorists. Obama killed that and now the country has failed. Hah who could have seen that.
May 29th, 2015 at 10:00 am
The problem is the war and peace was won but Obama wanted it to fail and he succeeded. Obama has failed to arm the Kurds who do fight. Funny do you think he wants ISIS to win the country?
May 29th, 2015 at 10:53 am
Why keep troops in Iraq when our own country is allowed to be undergo invasion? ( …the United States SHALL…protect the States against Invasion..Article IV, Section 4) and why keep troops in Iraq and Afghanistan while our Government allows and even brings in people from jihadist countries? This is absolute madness and I submit,treason, according to our Constitution by both the Bush and Obama Administrations.
Rand Paul insists on adhering to “a republican form of government” which is also in that same article and section, by a Congressional Declaration of War against a named enemy. As he pointed out, sending our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters abroad is the most important vote our elected officials cast as specified in the Constitution to which they take an oath. Our troops are required to take orders and so should those who command them.
May 29th, 2015 at 12:51 pm
The point is Rand has killed his chances . You don’t blame the party whose nomination you seek. He did serious violation of Reagan’s 11 Commandment Do not trash your fellow GOP.
May 29th, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Yes, that’s probably a good point, RAH. Unfortunately party loyalty is deemed much more important than fidelity to the Constitution. George Washington warned against “party spirit”.
Reagan was right there. He’s the icon for many supposedly conservative Republicans, yet his foreign policy would be disdained by the CFR global interventionists now what without the unending, now in unconstitutional occupations and nation building. Just peace through strength so that it’s suicidal for another NAMED nation or group to directly attack the U.S.
But I suppose it’s OK for establishment Republicans to trash Constitutionalists and pro liberty folks and then expect them to line up and vote for them on Election Day. They want my vote, they will have to demonstrate thst they will CONSERVE the Constitution.
May 29th, 2015 at 1:27 pm
That was meant to be “no win” in my second paragraph.
May 29th, 2015 at 1:38 pm
But behind the scenes, this is from whence the unconstitutional global interventionism in both major party administrations comes:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=peJZSTJJuPk
Now why would he not want to mention it to the voters?
May 29th, 2015 at 2:43 pm
“You don’t blame the the party (GOP) for ISIS.”
You are correct – You blame both the GOP and the DEM’s.
“The problem is the war and peace was won but Obama wanted it to fail and he succeeded. Obama has failed to arm the Kurds who do fight. Funny do you think he wants ISIS to win the country? “
No, it was not. Neither the war nor the peace was even close to being won. What Rand is saying is that unless we, as a Country, are under attack or direct assault then we should not be involved. In regards to the Kurds, both of the last 2 administrations failed or agreed not to arm the Kurds…
May 29th, 2015 at 3:32 pm
“It was also a loaded question based on a false premise and Paul took the bait.”
There’s not a Republican alive who won’t fall for that tired old trick.
May 29th, 2015 at 4:13 pm
Good points, Scottw.
Both the GOP and DEMS have left our borders open and, much worse, aided and abetted the mass influx of people into our nation from countries where jihadists abound!!! And then they have the gall to condemn a Constitutional foreign policy as “isolationist”, “radical” or “dangerous”!! It’s mind-boggling!!! And they continue and expand the police-state which labels, military vets, Constitutionalists, pro-Bill of Rights, gunowners, etc as the most dangerous potential terrorists!!!
May 29th, 2015 at 4:57 pm
Even Obama said in 21012 that Iraq was success and country was stable. The war was won by the time Obama came into office. The peace also. But that was allowed to fail.
Now if your best idea is isolation then I can understand. I believe in fighting anywhere it takes to solve issues when they are smaller rather than big wars later.
May 29th, 2015 at 4:58 pm
I like Rnd He has been great on the vilations of 4 th Amendment .. We need that and he is fine i the Senate. So he can do good work ther
May 29th, 2015 at 4:58 pm
Exactly….both parties are really one in the same.
May 29th, 2015 at 5:03 pm
RAH ~ The war was never even close to being won – to be won it would have had to be by the Iraqi armed forces and the people of Iraq. It never reached that level. Never was stable. I saw it first hand (couple of rotations over there)….we just can not afford (by afford I measure the cost in the blood spilled by American men and women in the Armed Services) to inject ourselves into every third world battle / conflict.
May 29th, 2015 at 6:52 pm
Scottw, very well-said!
May 30th, 2015 at 9:24 am
GO RAND PAUL!!!!!!!!!!!
May 31st, 2015 at 7:20 pm
Amazing that some people agree that spending trillions attacking nations that never attacked us is “good policy”. 17 American’s died worldwide in 2012 via terror attacks, yet people base their entire opinions on the state of the nation on such a mundane thing that is only perpetuated by the media, and the Senators that gain handsomely for foreign conflict. Have American’s learned nothing?
You are 44,000 times more likely to die from a long bout with cancer then a terror attack, yet people still cling to war at all cost McCain policy, that lines his pockets, but causes almost 1 veteran an hour to commit suicide because they see what is happening while the blind public pays and agree’s on their demise so a small amount of elites can profit selling the sheep the great fear that they might be one of the next 17 Americans to be killed globally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3_EXqJ8f-0
I stand with Rand…
June 1st, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Right on, blounttruth! And these unconstitutional, no-win, unending wars are waged while our country is allowed to be invaded (Article IV, Section 4), the invaders which could easily include enemies are allowed to stay and our people are imposed upon to appease and accommodate the invaders. This policy is, not only extreme and dangerous, but “treason” (Article III, Section 3)!!