1) The information about WMDs was predictive information. IOW, it was an (in)accurate guess as to what Iraq had/didn't have in the way of WMDs. 2) That information was supported by the intelligence sources around the world. The fact that it was wrong doesn't mean that it's a bad reason to go to war. If we had found WMD, would you say the war is A-OK? I somehow doubt it. 3) This information (in re: the terrorist training) is analytical and reflective. IOW, it's reviewing records after the fact to determine what HAPPENED. If you want to think that the government lies all the time to all the people just to justify itself, I'm sure you'll have great company with Code Pink et al.
The bottom line is that Ron Paul's foreign policy is short-sighted and isolationist (whatever he chooses to call it doesn't change its actual result). And his tendency to side with our enemies and their viewpoints makes for troubling double-takes and "did he really say that out loud?" moments. These are not things to be proud of, despite the Paulites proclamations to the contrary. Common sense can be our friend over and above "lofty" and "idealistic" thinking about the Constitution.
I think Thomas Jefferson's response to the Barbary Pirates could be instructive with regards to our Middle East "entanglements" and the struggle with "radical Islam." Or maybe Jefferson's not Constitutional enough.
Oh great, we go to war on educated guesses.
****2) That information was supported by the intelligence sources around the world. The fact that it was wrong doesn’t mean that it’s a bad reason to go to war. If we had found WMD, would you say the war is A-OK? I somehow doubt it.*****
I doubt that statement is correct. Could you give any examples of other intelligence services coming to that conclusion, besides perhaps England?
True, I was against the war even when we were being assured Saddam was building WMDs. He posed no real threat to the US. I am a bit more concerned about N. Korea as they have missiles that could reach the west coast. And the head of N. Korea could be a complete wacko.
The Mossad has the best intelligence in the Middle East, could it be possible that they were feeding us wrong information? Israel bombed Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 81, do you think they would have sat on their hands if Saddam really was close to having WMD’s?
******3) This information (in re: the terrorist training) is analytical and reflective. IOW, it’s reviewing records after the fact to determine what HAPPENED. If you want to think that the government lies all the time to all the people just to justify itself, I’m sure you’ll have great company with Code Pink et al.*****
No, I don’t think they lie to us all the time, but they do lie to us a lot. It is a huge bureaucracy and the first thing people in that type situation do is Cover Their A@@.
Do you think the government lied to us about Ruby Ridge, Waco, Oklahoma City and the TWA flight? I was on another “conservative” forum at those times and most people believed that we were lied to about everything except Oklahoma City and that was close.
****The bottom line is that Ron Paul’s foreign policy is short-sighted and isolationist (whatever he chooses to call it doesn’t change its actual result).****
It is not short-sighted and isolationist. It is what most of us do in our personal life. We MYOB, unless the situation threatens our family or our local society in a very real way. We think a representative democracy and free enterprise is the best way to run a country, but we can’t force that on other countries. We have to lead by example, not war. That was pretty much Reagan’s ideal, “The shinning city on the hill.” Reagan pulled out of Lebanon, but he also bombed Kadify (sp?) and sent troops into Grenada.
***And his tendency to side with our enemies and their viewpoints makes for troubling double-takes and “did he really say that out loud?” moments. These are not things to be proud of, despite the Paulites proclamations to the contrary. Common sense can be our friend over and above “lofty” and “idealistic” thinking about the Constitution.****
It is not siding with our enemies to try to understand why they do what they do. He did not say it was right for 9/11 to happen, but only to look into the rational of the people that did it. It is a very big mistake to assume that other people think as you do, as I found out with my children recently. It almost destroyed my family as I thought my older children were on the same wave length as I was.
****I think Thomas Jefferson’s response to the Barbary Pirates could be instructive with regards to our Middle East “entanglements” and the struggle with “radical Islam.” Or maybe Jefferson’s not Constitutional enough.****
Well, I am not sure what you mean. At one time we paid the Barbary pirates to leave our ships alone and another time we went and fought them. I am not sure who was president at each time. However, each time we acted in our own self interest, not for some lofty goal of spreading our ideals.