Posted on 07/03/2010 2:56:48 PM PDT by speciallybland
LAKE JACKSON, Texas -- Congressman Ron Paul today issued the following statement on Michael Steele’s recent comments that Afghanistan is a war of President Obama’s choosing:
“I would like to congratulate Michael Steele for his leadership on one of the most important issues of today. He is absolutely right: Afghanistan is now Obama’s war. During the 2008 campaign, Obama was out in front in insisting that more troops be sent to Afghanistan. Obama called for expanding the war even as he pretended to be a peace candidate.
“Michael Steele should not resign. Smart policies make smart politics. He is guiding the party in the right direction and we are on the verge of victory this fall. Chairman Steele should not back off. He is giving the country, especially young people, hope as he speaks truth about this war.
“I have to ask myself, what is the agenda of the harsh critics demanding this resignation? Why do they support Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama’s war?
“The American people are sick and tired spending hundreds of billions of dollars a year, draining our economy and straining our military. Michael Steele has it right and Republicans should stick by him.”
Well this should seal Michael Steele’s doom.
The Anti-War nutcase Ron Paul congratulating him.
It is the kiss of death for any serious conservative
An endorsement (kiss of death) from Ron Paul should be sufficient motivation for Mr. Steele to be removed from his current position with the RNC.
Ping
There is no "winning" in Afghanistan, either commit to staying there for the next 50-100 years and westernize them or don't bother wasting the lives and body parts.
Hussein is already committed to bugging out next July, so what is the point of one more American casualty?
If anyone needed additional evidence that Ron Paul is a certifiable loon, ANY defense of Michael Steele should suffice. This comment goes WELL beyond sufficient.
I never thought we'd see a GOP chairman worse than Mel Martinez. I was wrong. Steele gets there, and then some.
If anyone needed additional evidence that Ron Paul is a certifiable loon, ANY defense of Michael Steele should suffice. This comment goes WELL beyond sufficient.
I never thought we'd see a GOP chairman worse than Mel Martinez. I was wrong. Steele gets there, and then some.
We were on the verge of being able to walk out victorious just a couple of years ago when the rules of engagement were changed by certain new leadership.
“There is no “winning” in Afghanistan...”
“The Iraq war is lost...”
-Harry Reid, 2007
Hey, I’ll be in Rome (again) in about 3 weeks!
I’m no fan of the Afghan war, but publicly scheduling a departure date is the height of stupidity.
Ron Paul and Steele, two loons in a pod.
Steel needs to go .
Let Gen. Petraeus take charge, one of the few adults
around.
I wish Patton were still around.
Then this war would really end and the Taliban would not have Pakistan as a sanctuary.
Afghanistan is a higher tech, lower casaulty no-win Korea and Vietnam type of conflict run by the elite that Ron Paul despises.
Paul’s problem is he has cast in his lot with the Left in opposing the war and not attacked it as a no-win rules of engagement limited war of the style pursued by LBJ and Nixon in the 1960’s and 70’s.
Legitimately elected or not, Obama is the Commander in Chief. "The Buck Stops Here". What Ron Paul said is correct -- Obama can no longer blame any mis-management of the War in Afghanistan on anyone but himself. I'd think that any serious conservative would agree with that sentiment.
When we elected 0bama, we lost the war.
On war, we should always set aside politics. The only right thing to do when Americans are fighting war is to support victory, only victory.
On war, we should always set aside politics. The only right thing to do when Americans are fighting war is to support victory, only victory.
Actually Mr Paul has a very valid point, if you just take the time to read what he said. And I am not a Pual fan when it comes to his views on the war.
BUT he is correct this is now Obaba’s war, and the points he makes about what Obama said is spot on.
Patton and MacArthur would never make general rank in today’s highly politicized, politically correct military.
I hear you.
The major problem though, the IslamOfascists
war is not your grandfather’s WWII
They don’t wear a uniform, no front or rear lines,
It is a circular war. The enemy hides behind women and children.
Their allies, Iran and others have weapons to do major damage in kind.
This war has to be fought very differently.
IF we pick up and go home, the IslamOfascists are also here.
We have to take them out where they are rooted and go from there.
Steele is right. The idiot kept saying that Iraq was an unnecessary war but Afghanistan was the right war and he was going to fight and succeed there.
WRONG...there will be no success in Afghanistan and we need to bring our troops home.
Enough life lost on a lost cause.
I don’t think Ron Paul is the man that M. Steele is waiting to hear nice things from. Maybe he will release money now for Rand Paul
A lovely reverse-psychology propaganda hit from Ron Paul. The establishment-übuer-alles types purt near blew a gasket, no doubt.
And their paymasters in Saudi Arabia?....Why are they immune from the ire of the neo conservatives?
We have to take them out where they are rooted and go from there.
The neocons don't have any desire to attack their whabbist buddies in Riyadh it seems. Bush kissed the financiers of our enemies and Obama bows to them. Seems a little more might be going on than killing "IslamOfascists" in Afghanistan. There are actually more whabbie Muslim's in Africa.
Between; Obama ,Steele and Paul, only one voted to go to war in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan IS Obama’s War, now; if he screws up the war, he can’t blame Bush any more!”
It is OUR war. It is in our nations interests to be there and to be successful; then get our people home.
It is OUR neighbors, friends, family serving there. To try to score political points for winning and losing is unseemly.
Obama is incompetent at everything he does; we hope the right thing will get done anyway.
Just because it is "our" war does not mean we are going to win.
Is it "unseemly" to tell the truth?
Hope is not a strategy. Neither is trying. 0bama does not even use the term "win". Get out now and save lives until we get an administration that can prosecute a war and win.
What's happening today is what the election was all about.
People should remember that before the neo-cons, conservatism meant non-interventionism. Ron Paul is a throwback to those days.
I don’t know if the war in Afghanistan is winnable (certainly not under the current rules of engagement), but Steele’s statement may show some political savvy, because the American people are indeed war weary.
And it’s fine to disagree with Rep. Paul, but it would be helpful to all of us in the movement if people would address the issues and not resort to name-calling (as the Establishment does to marginalize those it sees as a threat).
Rep. Paul is decidedly unconventional in his views, but he also raises many issues that every conservative should at least consider. Like: Why do we still spend billions maintaining military bases in Germany and Japan? And: Can we really say that the Federal Reserve has done a great job managing our money supply, such that they deserve the billions we pay them in interest?
If we’re going to undo this mess, we need a healthy discussion of everything brought to the table, not a summary dismissal of sincere viewpoints.
So you are saying because a large part of France had collaborators, we shouldn’t have helped to free them from the Nazis.
I hear your same talking points directly from the Marxist Code Pinkos
With all due respect, what Mr. Steele said was correct
Americans should support victory.
Our leaders of both parties do not.
They are fighting another no-win Korea Vietnam style hands tied behind the back type of UN sanctioned war.
Why do we have a wrist slapping drone policy on Pakistan?
That is the big problem as I see it.
Pakistan is a Taliban sanctuary right now and neither the United States, its allies or Pakistan’s own government is into an all out plan to deal with them.
Too much worrying about civilian casualties.
I suspect the “graduated response” of this “war” is linked to any attack or attacks that may be perpetrated in the United States.
The slaps will get harder if they attack the homeland, but will stay soft until then.
We all love our country and our troops. Its sad that they have to fight in these no win limited wars.
I believe that is precisely why this has turned into obummer's WAR. We had the upper hand, we had the Al Qaeida and Taliban on the run, until obummer came along and turned it political as usual and the blame game started and the "good" war vs "Bad" war AND THEN he announced TIMETABLE for when the troops would come home!!!!!!
MORON STUPID IMBECILE FOOL.
IT IS OBUMMER'S WAR because HE MADE IT SO and we are loosing and our soldiers' morale is down and we look and act as loosers.
I UTTERLY LOATHE THE CHARLATAN OCCUPYING THE WHITE HOUSE RIGHT NOW, THE DAMN FOOL.
an excellant, reasoned post that let even knee-jerk reaction me (ha) take another look at this whole situation...very well put in a way that can make one consider your opinions.
I UTTERLY LOATHE THE CHARLATAN OCCUPYING THE WHITE HOUSE RIGHT NOW, THE DAMN FOOL.
I so agree with you..I feel the same way, I can not stand that POS!!
Yes, and that is the point, Obama isn't going for victory, he is looking for an escape hatch.
“From one saboteur to another... keep it up, Michael!”
We can always count on Dr Paul to be...Dr Paul!
Yup.
Dr. Paul isn’t a loon. He simply wants us out of the wars (which I disagree with) b/c he thinks they go against American interest. I support our troops and the wars but I like Dr. Paul’s way of thinking. We need to focus on AMERICA and not sell out to the UN and the rest of the world. Our country is already under illegal mexican invasion and all our business is going to China (communist) and Indonesia (muslim) so what’s left of America these days? We need to move back to Americanism and the Constitution and Dr. Paul understands that.
This is the difference between Dr. Paul and N0bama. Dr. Paul wants to end the wars but he strongly supports the troops. Obama hates the troops.
I support our troops. We should never send them off and then not provide proper support. However, Afghanistan is not the same as Iraq and it IS Obama’s war. I think he made noises about it to look tough, then figured he could do nothing. McChrystal put an end to that plan by outing his request last autumn.
Steel is right on this and the other ‘gaffes’. He is trying to shape the party to reflect what wins: fiscal responsibility and personal liberty.
Yes. And Obama does NOT support our troops. Dr. Paul does and wants to bring America back to what America was intended to be.
Agreed. Interesting that Ron Paul won the CPAC mock election. Between Palin, Paul, and Steel, I hope they can guide the Republican party wisely. The party looses when it goes into the weeds of rigid social conservatism [and where is that in the Constitution?] and/or ‘compassionate’ conservatism aka big government dooty with a pretty bow tied around it.
Ahhhh, another RINO rejecting social conservatism and its’ inherent link to fiscal conservatism. You can’t have one without the other.
The problem is that no one knows what " 'winning' in Afghanistan" means.
BTW, Ron Paul is one of the few voices of rationality on this issue.
Serious conservatives were primarily anti war as you call it for decades before this new modern era of politics began after Reagan.
The proper term to use is not anti-war, but anti-interventionism and/or nation building. The 9/11 attacks changed this as a knee jerk reaction. Even Bush, in the runup to his first term, was anti-interventionist or in his case anti-nation building.
There are certainly just wars with this belief but Paul would not likely approve of even that with his libertarianism. Steele is not anti-war but he shares Reagan's anti-direct interventionism or nation building that has always led to failure since post WWII.
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