Agree.
But for his goofy isolationist foreign policy, he’d get my vote.
“Agree.
But for his goofy isolationist foreign policy, he’d get my vote.”
The Founding Fathers warned future generations to avoid foreign entanglements. Paul is saying they were correct. The undeclared wars and foreign aid of the past 60 years have accomplished nothing except killing young Americans, draining the Treasury, and allowing Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Europe to get rich while the US taxpayer paid for their defense.
The Constitutional requirement for Congress to declare war before the President commits troops has been conveniently ignored beginning with the Korean War. Paul is first and foremost a believer in the letter of the Constitution — to commit troops overseas the President needs a declaration of war from Congress. His foreign policy is to have defensive armed forces to protect the homeland, not an offensive force constantly involved in policing the globe wherever the President in power decides he wants to deploy them and for whatever reason he wants to deploy them.
The problems this nation has at home are as severe as any time in its history. We are financially bankrupt and can no longer afford to commit troops merely on the desire of a President to make a country “democratic” or push out a ruler. If we continue this approach to the world, some day the Chinese may decide to effect regime change inside the United States or the Iranians may decide to fly drones over our cities.
Going back to founding principles, as Paul advocates, means limited government. This not only implies our government stays out of the lives of its citizens, it also means the government stays out of the affairs of other nations unless we are directly attacked. The requirement that Congress vote for war before the nation is committed to war ensures the nation has a sober debate about the consequences and ensures the President has the political and popular support to conduct the war until victory is achieved.
“But for his goofy isolationist foreign policy, he’d get my vote.”
And that is a HUGE deal-breaker in my book. I mean, it’d be like asking, “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?”