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“In one breath he says that middle-eastern thinking is irrational (which I agree with - I wouldn’t shed a tear if the entire ME was nuked to oblivion tomorrow, and I think nation building of any sort is a terrible waste and terrible policy), and in the next breath he states that we should consider the reasons they have for attacking us????? There is a heap of cognitive dissonance going on there.”

Good spin, but I think what Paul said was to agree with Reagan that middle eastern POLITICS are irrational. Understanding our attackers and defusing their appeal to the region is different from picking sides in the MidEast...or maybe that’s the same to you.

There is nothing in their "mentality" to understand, they are barbarians pure and simple. No reason or justification is possible for 9/11. America did not ask for it and shares no responsibility for the actions of insane religious fanatics in sand-land. Moral culpability (something I extend to insane people btw) is entirely in their hands, not ours. To say that we are in any way culpable is an affront to both morality and logic, akin to Islamic short-bus rejects blaming the rape victim for dressing suggestively.

I agree that it would be best if America had NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MIDDLE EAST. Energy independence is the first step (but now I am getting OT). I support non-interventionist foreign policy, disagreed with the invasion of Iraq, and don't care about 3rd world dictators cutting off the hands of their political opponents (in the sense that I do not think it is the American government's job to do something about it). After 9/11, if I was in charge I would have asked the Taliban for OBL and his supporters. Upon refusal, it would have been Dresden all over again, followed by a second chance. Upon refusal a second time, the entire nation of Afghanistan would have been wiped off the face of the earth. Even the caveman understood fear and respected power - I don't know how much higher we can climb up the rationality tree when dealing with certain cultures.

See, I think the neocons are full of s**t too, I can't stand them, never could, they are a disease on conservatism. THERE I SAID IT, they are utopians, they are dumb*ss Wilsonians and New Dealers. But the moment Ron Paul shifted to America an OUNCE of moral culpability for what was wrought on 9/11, we parted ways in our opposition to certain aspects of foreign policy. 9/11 can in no way be construed as an act of self-defense on behalf of the camel rapists, and if it could I would concede the point. Ron Paul has lost his mind, and it is a shame considering the way most others in government treat the Constitution like toilet paper..