Rand Paul: ‘I Am Not an Isolationist’

Time ^ | 9/4/14 | Rand Paul

[Hugin]

And while my predisposition is to less intervention, I do support intervention when our vital interests are threatened.

If I had been in President Obama’s shoes, I would have acted more decisively and strongly against ISIS. I would have called Congress back into session—even during recess.

This is what President Obama should have done. He should have been prepared with a strategic vision, a plan for victory and extricating ourselves. He should have asked for authorization for military action and would have, no doubt, received it.

Once we have decided that we have an enemy that requires destruction, we must have a comprehensive strategy—a realistic policy applying military power and skillful diplomacy to protect our national interests.

The immediate challenge is to define the national interest to determine the form of intervention we might pursue. I was repeatedly asked if I supported airstrikes. I do—if it makes sense as part of a larger strategy.

[C. Edmund Wright]

“Conservative” war-hawks are like domestic liberals: They’re all for spending more money on their pet projects, and don’t want to talk about the price tag.

Ah, the irrelevant purity of the hard core foreign policy libertarian....where love means never having to actually be in charge of anything. MEMO to libertarians (and I am one on some domestic issues) - until EVERY COUNTRY is libertarian, then NO COUNTRY can be libertarian. The world is run by the aggressive use of force. Sucks, but it's the truth.

[C. Edmund Wright]

you sound like a Huffington Post DU troll - defense spending is a drop in the bucket compared to overall spending, and ITS THE ONLY LEGIT ROLE OF GOVT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SoConPubbie]

Here are the links, from last year, where Rand Paul clearly lays out his own Amnesty plan for 2 million illegals per year, based on a "Certification" from a Pro-Amnesty congress that the border is "secure". No Fence, No E-Verify, No punishments for ID Fraud, and all the other misdemeanors and felonies committed by the Undocumented Democrats he wants to pardon.

Rand Paul’s “Undocumented Citizens” Path to Legality (and Citizenship) (March 20, 2013)

Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reform (March 19, 2013 Article)

Rand Paul's presence-and-jobs amnesty -- WITHOUT E-Verify

Rand Paul Defends Immigration Reform: 'I've Got A News Flash' For Coulter And Limbaugh

No, America Does Not Have “De Facto Amnesty”

GOP's Rand Paul, Dems' Luis Gutierrez in step on immigration reform

Rand Paul: Pathway To Citizenship Is Needed, E-Verify Is Not

Rand Paul On Illegals: Trust But Verify

Steve Deace – Et Tu, Rand Paul?

Paul: Republican Party in Need of Facelift

[qman]

I am an Isolationist!!! I only want to kill the people that can actually kill me. The only reason ISIS is a threat to the USA is because we have an open border and dependence on Mideast oil. Every Muslim that leaves the country and enters Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Jordan, an entry points for ISIS should have their passport revoked and denied entry to the USA and I would advise all Europeans to adopt this policy ASAP. If the two horns of Islam want to murder each other, I say have at it. If we get of Mideast Oil ISIS becomes the problem of Israel and Europe, both have Nukes problem solved!

[TBP]

He’s been saying we must smash ISIS.

What Rand is and always has been is a “national interest” supporter. We engage when our vital national interest is threatened, but not otherwise. We don’t just do around putting out fires.

[Sola Veritas]

“I don’t always agree with Paul, but I find nothing to disagree with in this article.”

Truly???? How about the fact that he is LYING. Randy Paul IS an isolationist.....regardless of what he says. Now he is compounding this by lying about it.

I WILL NOT vote for this fool...even in a general election. I made the mistake of voting for Romney - against my better judgement - and I still got Obama. I won’t be fooled again.

Give me a GOP nominee that is a hawk and a real social conservative....or don’t expect my vote. Libertarians will NEVER qualify as being socially conservative.

[SoConPubbie]

Did those links clear up any remaining doubt on your part?

[leapfrog0202]

you sound like a Huffington Post DU troll - defense spending is a drop in the bucket compared to overall spending, and ITS THE ONLY LEGIT ROLE OF GOVT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

---

“He somewhat makes sense about the borrowing”

That is what I said after I posted what is on his senate.gov page. I do NOT like borrowing from China and would feel better if we could pay for the wars or if we could sell their oil to begin to pay us back for what we’ve spent.

I’d suggest you check my posting history before flinging accusations around about being a “Huffington Post DU troll”.
We also were not discussing what the legitimate role of government may or may not be. We were discussing Rand Paul’s stand on foreign policy.

[Hugin]

I didn’t ask you to vote for him, and I don’t give rat’s ass who you want for a nominee. You can accuse anyone you want of lying and use all the caps you want to do it. You clearly have no intelligent comments on the content of what Paul is saying.

[Henry Hnyellar]

If I had to choose a dirt sandwich over a sh!t sandwich it would be easy.

What is your point?

[FreeInWV]

Letting Dick Cheney define for you who is an isolationist is pretty darn funny! Lol!

[sickoflibs]

RE:”What is your point?”

McCain and Grahamnesty have never seen a Muslim craphole that they didn't want to invade, rebuild and democratize.

That's why they need illegals, army recruits to disarm IEDs with their limbs.

We been there done that,

Let Obama continue to own this mess.

[DoughtyOne]

In truth, birth-right citizenship was never intended like illegal are using it. Some judge bought into it, and it was off to the races. Perhaps Congress or the Supreme court came up with additional language or rulings.

A simple read of the think in plain English dashes the idea it covers the children of illegals.

[DoughtyOne]

Ah yes the price tag...

The cost of welfare has been double the cost of the Middle-EAst wars and yet the nation will end if Military action isn’t stopped immediately. Yet nobody thinks the nation will end if welfare isn’t stopped. I see 1000 to 1 comments on this forum military vs welfare spending.

If spending were truly the problem, the biggest spending would be the first to be addressed.

[WilliamIII]

yes, the price tag

you’re like a liberal, you don’t care what the price tag is

every dollar we spend today is a dollar borrowed or a dollar printed out of thin air. it all contributes to inflation and a debasement of our currency

that’s much more a national security threat than who’s killing who in Iraq or Ukraine

[WilliamIII]

I shouldn’t say you’re like a liberal. you are a liberal - your big-government program just happens to be war, not welfare

[WilliamIII]

only a liberal calls it “purity” to be concerned about deficits and spending money we don’t have

[DoughtyOne]

I think it’s rather cute how the person who chants the McGovern Hippy and Democrats slogans since the 60s and 70s to other forum participants, want us to think we’re the liberals.

William, we spent around $3 trillion on the most recent round of Middle-East wars. Do you know how much we have spent on Welfare since 2000. Well it’s close to $7.5 trillion. Over roughly the same period of time, Welfare is by far the most massive program. None the less, I’m a liberal in your eyes if support wars in our own best interest.

I understand the Left doesn’t. I understand that Liberals don’t. I understand the take of Senator Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Ron and Rand Paul. I understand Richard Gere. I understand A.N.S.W.E.R. and their ilk. I know why they don’t support our war efforts. I don’t understand why you join them in their objections.

You may wish to think of me as a liberal because I support our war efforts. Doesn’t bother me a bit. It’s just one more insult hurled at people who recognize a threat when they see one, from people who will never see a threat until it’s taking down our tallest buildings on our soil.

Ten minutes later, they’ll be back to trashing those of us who think military action is called for. And frankly, I won’t give a damn.

Do you think the Middle-East is a lessor or grater threat to global peace if the ISIS/ISIL effort reaches it’s full goals? Perhaps you think it makes no difference.

It does.

We fight foreign wars so we don’t have to fight domestic ones. We keep our forces on station, because otherwise every future war will be on our soil.

We remain on station because if we don’t, other nations will. We remain on the high seas to protect our commercial rights of free passage.

You can drop by to toss a hisy fit any time you like. I’ll just laugh at you.

Our costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns should have been covered by the nations we entered. Iraq should have reimbursed every bit of our costs. Afghanistan may have been more problematic, but we could have gotten some of the costs reimbursed.

As for the Costs of Welfare, we should have chopped at least half that over the years.

If we had done these two things along, we would only have a debt today of about $9 - $10 trillion.

We can discuss other government promises of reimbursement current to decades out. And we can reduce those in short order too.

We are going to have military engagements as long as we are top dog on the block. And when we are, we’ll win them.

When we aren’t top dog on the block, we will lose them. And we’ll lose them at home.

One nation will be the leader of the world. It will be free, or not. Please tell me what nation besides the U. S. will defend freedom around the planet if we don’t.

[C. Edmund Wright]

only a liberal calls it “purity” to be concerned about deficits and spending money we don’t have

Dude you're gonna have to do a LOT better than that. That's an infantile tantrum, a straw argument. No one, repeat NO ONE, let me say this one more time....NOT A SINGLE PERSON ON THIS THREAD OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE CONSERVATIVE UNIVERSE is not concerned about deficits and spending......and to focus on defense, the one legit government function, as a place to cut - is either liberal or childishly libertarian naivete.

[WilliamIII]

Sorry, but there’s a lot of unnecessary military spending, that’s just a fact jack. And the dollars for it come from China (borrowing) or the Fed (printing press) - as with all the unnecessary domestic spending.

Start with Bush’s Iraq war — 1 trillion in borrowing and money-printing that was worse than unnecessary - it harmed our national security. We toppled the dictator who kept a lid on the crazies. And now we’re worried about the crazies running wild through Iraq? Hey, we’re the ones - or at least our Prez Bush - who took a baseball bat to that hornet’s nest.

Obama did the same thing by toppling Gaddafi in Libya. And McCain wants us to topple Assad in Syria.

In each case, you’re talking about spending hundreds of billions of dollars - on wars that hurt us. Just like a lot of liberal domestic spending actually hurts people instead of helping them’