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From the viewpoint of Al Qaeda, 9/11 was in part an act of retribution and it certainly was both a tragedy and a crime from out point of view. I think Paul’s point of view is that we can, in essence, withdraw enough into an isolationist position to have relative safety by minding our own business. I don’t support that view. In this interconnected world, it would not work.

For me, an interesting part of the article was this...

Those who find Rep. Paul's foreign policy vision fringe-like or crazy would do well to read what other libertarian non-interventionists were saying before the Iraq war began. They were remarkably prescient. Some even predicted a Sept. 11-like attack years before it happened. For example:

— The Cato Institute's Gene Healy: "After our quick victory, and after the "Arab street" fails to rise, you're going to hear a lot of self-congratulation from the hawks. But the fallout from this war is likely to be long-term, in the form of a protracted and messy occupation, and an enhanced terrorist recruitment base."

— Ted Galen Carpenter, also of Cato: "The inevitable U.S. military victory would not be the end of America's troubles in Iraq. Indeed, it would mark the start of a new round of headaches. Ousting Saddam would make Washington responsible for Iraq's political future and entangle the United States in an endless nation-building mission beset by intractable problems."

Now contrast those forecasts — both made before the war — with predictions from the war's architects:

— Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz: "We're dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon."

— Vice President Dick Cheney: "I don't think it would be that tough a fight."

— White House economic advisor Glenn Hubbard: "Costs of any [Iraq] intervention would be very small."

— OMB Director Mitch Daniels: "The United States is committed to helping Iraq recover from the conflict, but Iraq will not require sustained aid."

I think there were a lot of libertarians/true conservatives (not neocons) who were right on target about what we have seen in Iraq.

From the viewpoint of Al Qaeda, 9/11 was in part an act of retribution and it certainly was both a tragedy and a crime from out point of view. I think Paul’s point of view is that we can, in essence, withdraw enough into an isolationist position to have relative safety by minding our own business. I don’t support that view. In this interconnected world, it would not work.

I am not concerned with the Muslim 'point of view',which frankly, doesn't line up with reality.

We did not have it 'coming to us'(retribution) as if we brought this on ourselves by our misguided foreign policy.

Now, there is much to be critical of U.S. foreign policy, in that it hasn't placed U.S. interests first, that it has been globalist, as was the case of Bush senior and Clinton.

We do need to follow a policy that reflects the interests of the United States.