Posted on 02/20/2007 8:59:49 AM PST by OrthodoxPresbyterian
Ron Paul, the Real Republican?
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
By Radley Balko
When you read about a vote in Congress that goes something like 412-1, odds are pretty good that the sole "nay" came from Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. He so consistently votes against widely popular bills, in fact, that the Washington Post recently gave him the moniker "Congressman 'No.'"
Paul isn't a reflexive contrarian--he doesn't oppose just to oppose. Rather, he has a core set of principles that guide him. They happen to be the same principles envisioned by the framers of the U.S. Constitution: limited government, federalism, free trade and commerce -- with a premium on peace.
When most members of Congress see a bill for the first time, they immediately judge the bill on its merits, or if you're more cynical, they determine what the political interests that support them will think of it, or how it might benefit their constituents.
For Paul, the vast majority of bills don't get that far. He first asks, "Does the Constitution authorize Congress to pass this law?" Most of the time, the answer to that question is "no." And so Paul votes accordingly.
This hasn't won him many friends in Congress, or, for that matter, his own party. It hasn't won him influential committee assignments or powerful chairmanships, either. Those are generally handed out to the party animals who vote as they're told. An incorruptible man of principle in a corrupt body almost utterly devoid of principle, Paul is often a caucus of one.
Paul recently announced his intentions to run for president in 2008. For the few of us who still care about limited government, individual rights, and a sensible foreign policy, Paul's candidacy is terrific news....Continue reading
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Did you watch the clip???
Did you see what Allegra said about it?
Do you know what a good personal friend in Iraq said about it??
Many Iraqis feel the same way, and that most Americans would be surprised to know that.
Do you really believe these good Iraqis will lose to the bad guys and thus there is no downside in supporting Ron Paul in his abandonment of these good Iraqis?
How will abandoning good guys like MP Iyad Jamal Al-Din affect the WOT?
Do you care?
How French of you.
Using the American military to defend other countries' interests makes you what?...not truly American
Yes, all appeasers of the Jihad get under my skin.
What good is a "principled" individual when that individual is 180 degree wrong on THE most important issue of our time?
I replied:No actually the GOP Congress has done just that for 10 years as much as the DEMs but nobody bothers to see why. Be back in later to defend what I posted but I can defend it.
Ok now I will tell you why. Ever since the GOP took the majority in both houses in 1995 they have sat on their hands just like the DEMs doing not one iota to help our troops nor rebuild our military. The End Strength Troop Numbers are the same today as they were in 1996. They were not raised even when on 9/11 our nation was attacked. I can point to example after example of readiness issues even up to and after 9/11 that were the responsibility of congress to correct.
With the GOP's habit of keeping {should have retired years ago RINO's} in key Chairmanships our military did not get the attention it needed and deserved. In 2000 Bush stated in the debates {links available upon request} that our troops were over-deployed, over extended, and should not be used for nation building purposes. That any war must also have a clear objective and exit strategy as well.
What was the nationality of the 9/11 attackers? Who was the Iranian hijacker? When did the United States become the enforcement branch of the United Nations? Did you even bother to read the Congressional Resolution of the Authorization of Force in Iraq? Can you show me where in it we declared war on Iraq? Where we declared war on Iraq even for strictly our own national interest? It isn't there.
At least two good and fine Conservatives in Congress as of late have become targets of letter writing Freepers who didn't even take 10 precious minutes to read the reasoning of the congress critters they were flaming. One being Ron Paul the other being Jimmy Duncan. Both are right.
We had better reasons for invading Yemen than we did Iraq as well as Saudi Arabia and even the UAE. Saddam was ruthless but remember this about him his own people allowed him to remain their beloved dictator. When we leave Iraq be it next month, next year or 50 years the Radical Islamic Clerics whom that nation listens to will install one as evil as him to take his place. Iraq is in a Civil War and we are a fourth party in it.
To many in here this is more about persons being labeled traitors for saying a Bush is wrong. I say Bush was wrong the very second he turned Iraq into a nation building project rather than solely a military mission.
That being the case I would not have any problems voting for Ron Paul and I am very pro-military/pro-troops.
We need to bring a swift military end in Iraq and personally if it means taking out everything they could ever again use to build weapons or so much as a nut and bolt then fine. We need to give our troops a highly deserved rest and begin seriously rebuilding our military rather than having Republicans and DEMs give empty promises which is what all of them including Bush has done. Bush abandoned the very beliefs he ran on and adopted the same policies of Clinton he condemned.
It's a sad day when good Constitutional Rooted Conservative Congressmen are drug through the mud for reminding us all of what being such actually means. I'll vore for Paul, I'll vore for Tancredo, or I'll vote third party for the third POTUS election in a row. But I will not vote for any more business as usual Republicans.
"Isn't Al-Hakim a good enough example?"
Ok that makes two, if he is actually a convicted Islamic terrorist.
Two is a far cry from;
"Iraqi Government is now a Government dominated by convicted Islamic Terrorists"
The word "dominated" means WAY MORE than two.
So list them, or denounce the statement.
BTW at what percentage of convicted Islamic terrorists in the Iraqi government do you justify abandoning the good guys??
We share common enemies, if nothing else.
They are a normal, Western, nation. Made up of normal people who just want to raise their kids and bother no one, and thus, we, as another Western people who have the means to help, have a moral obligation to help them. Would you let a normal person drown, just because they are not your kin? Of course not.
They contribute much to the world. Google Israeli scientific and medical advances.
We promised to help them, and they rely on that promise. If we abandoned them, no one would ever trust us or work with us again.
They are an unsinkable aircraft carrier and beach head smack in the middle of the most critical area of the world.
So, yes, defending Israel is in America's best interests.
I did two tours in Iraq, and I have no problem with Paul. He is a consistent isolationist, which is a traditional conservative position.
Fair enough criticism -- although I personally believe that Terrorists who are self-confessed attackers of Americans certainly deserve to be Convicted (as at least one Ruling Government Iraqi MP already has been) and are unworthy of our support. And, the ruling Al Dawa Party has openly claimed responsibility for terrorist attcks on Americans.
So, I'll say it this way: "Iraqi Government is now a Government dominated by self-confessed Islamic Terrorists"
Would you agree that an Islamic Party which has openly claimed Responsibility for their attacks on Americans are, at the very least, "self-confessed Islamic Terrorists"?
It's gettin' pretty whacked out in here isn't it?
I think Paul is stronger on fiscal conservatism than Hunter (or anybody else)... but Hunter is far, far ahead of the Rudy McRomney trio in my book.
Well, I learned that Ron Paul and Obama/Murtha/et al supporters have two things in common:
1. Appeasement/surrender in Iraq and
2. a hatred of Israel and a desire to abandon it to the Arabs (which is probably just plain-ole Pat Buchanon anti-semetism, but maybe not).
I used to have great sympathy for small-l libertarians, at least as idealists.
Less so, now.
This Ping List is primarily intended for FReepers who intend to support Ron Paul in the GOP Primaries, but can include FReepers for whom Ron Paul would be an excellent second choice (jmc813).
Well maybe it's coming around, 8-)
Don't you think the bad guys will lose the public debate with MPs like Iyad Jamal Al-Din? The least we can do is keep it safe enough for that debate to happen.
Did you know he as survived at one assination attempt that I know of?
Here let me quote the debate clip for all to see;
Asolutely...I am a Ron Paul supporter and have been for some time
BTW...I am also a Calvinist (Congregationalist)
However, it's inconsistent of Paul's defenders hide behind the "Congress should declare war" spin to justify his vote against the war in Iraq since he did vote to authorize military force in Afghanistan without a declaration of war.
While I do not agree 100% with Ron you are 200% correct in saying that he is better than Rudy....At least I believe so.
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