Rand Paul’s Foreign Policy: For the Situation Room or the Dorm Room?

National Review ^ | April 15, 2014 | Rich Lowry

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The oil-services company Halliburton is an old obsession of the anti-Bush Left, and evidently of Kentucky senator Rand Paul.

The libertarian standard-bearer and almost-certain Republican presidential candidate suggested to audiences a few years ago that Vice President Dick Cheney’s views on the Iraq War were influenced by his time as CEO at Halliburton. Cheney had opposed going into Iraq during the Persian Gulf War under the first President George Bush; then, after a stint at Halliburton, he supported going into Iraq under the second President Bush. Q.E.D.

Asked about the Halliburton charge on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Paul softened his accusation by saying he wasn’t questioning Cheney’s motives, but he didn’t recant. In his dark suspicions about Cheney, Paul is effectively to the left of most mainstream Democrats, who may disagree with and even hate the former vice president but don’t think he supported a major war as a favor to his erstwhile company. Paul’s belief that the Iraq War may have been about padding a corporate bottom line echoes charges of “war profiteering” that have been a staple of the Left.

Rand Paul is a good-natured, thoughtful, and creative politician, and the GOP benefits from having such a high-profile figure who doesn’t look or feel like a typical Republican. But he will soon be running for an office where your view of the world matters profoundly, and his instincts sometimes seem more appropriate to a dorm-room bull session than the Situation Room.

[gusopol3]

Get a clue, Lowry: Lew Rockwell.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Worth a full read.

[BobL]

I REALLY LIKE that Rand can relate to young adults, he seems to be the only Republican that can.

But he still has his “issues”. He waffled on the HORRIFIC Senate Amnesty bill, finally deciding to vote against it at the end.

This Halliburton stuff is REALLY WORRISOME. Even if Halliburton was to make money for Cheney off of Iraq, Cheney DIDN’T (doesn’t) NEED THE MONEY. He is fine. He already made his millions. He’s has 3 heart attacks, or something like that. I suspect he’s more interested in being around for his grandkids than with adorning his house with another painting.

As to why we went into Iraq - maybe it’s because they were shooting at our airplanes?

For Rand to say this, when even the Democrats know it’s bogus (but it plays to their base) really worries me. If Rand would just act like a conservative in a few key areas and get conspiracy crap out his head, he would have a FREE RIDE right into the White House. I can’t say that for Cruz, or any other Republican...but in the end, I’ll probably vote for Cruz, even if he does (or at least did) support a form of Amnesty last year.

[grania]

The one who can win is one that will connect the dots. The country is war-weary and wants to hear something involving a solution to that and to a deteriorating US. Someone who could say stop the military interventions in places that aren't our concern and put those troops on our southern border would get a lot of support. Someone who could say why are feds attacking ranchers in the US instead of stopping people from entering and staying in the US illegally would get a lot of support.

None of the pols, even the new constitutional conservatives, exhibit that kind of vision. They all missed the boat on the Bundy ranch situation....waiting for their next strategy meeting?

I'm fed up with all of them. Maybe the way to shake things up would be Donald Trump.

[BarnacleCenturion]

There is nothing ideological about questioning Cheney’s motives. This is the typical bushbot BS. Bow to Bush or be branded as a leftwinger.

Cheney kept Halliburton stock options so it’s a fact that he personaly profited from the war.

[BarnacleCenturion]

This article is full of nonsense. Rand only stated the fact that Cheney personaly profited from the war.

[Jabba the Nutt]

I’m probably one of the few people who opposed going into the first Gulf War and opposed ending it leaving Saddam Hussein in power. George H. W. Bush is consistent, do the wrong thing again and again.

[palmer]

I suspect he's more interested in being around for his grandkids than with adorning his house with another painting.

It's not the war profiteering, it's the war mentality. Halliburton is certainly not going to say "no" to another war and a lot of the people who hang around places like that have a similar perspective.

[BobL]

Maybe I think differently of Cheney, but to me he’s a big boy and doesn’t need to send men to their deaths for sport. There others there...you may be right.

[ansel12]

I don’t see the article at the link.