Posted on 03/31/2014 8:24:21 AM PDT by thetallguy24
At the Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin this weekend highlighted a video of Rand Paul speaking in 2012 about sanctions on Iran. In it, Paul disparages the notion of use of force, and for some reason claims the United States was partly to blame for World War II!
“There are times when sanctions have made it worse. I mean, there are times .. leading up to World War II we cut off trade with Japan. That probably caused Japan to react angrily. We also had a blockade on Germany after World War I, which may have encouraged them … some of their anger.”
Rubin spoke with David David Adesnik of the American Enterprise Institute about Paul’s remarks:
After viewing the video, he tells Right Turn, “Blaming the U.S. for Pearl Harbor is a long-standing isolationist habit that reflects tremendous historical illiteracy. Sen. Paul is very poorly informed if he thinks U.S. sanctions ‘probably caused Japan to react angrily.’” He explains, “The U.S. cut off oil supplies to Japan in August 1941, long after Japan had launched its atrocity-laden war against China in 1937. The evidence is conclusive that Japan was determined to dominate all of East Asia. Believing that the U.S. would not stand by passively if it overran Thailand, Singapore, Malaya and the East Indies, Japan launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.”
With regard to the Senator’s comments about Germany, Adesnik declared them “so eccentric that it’s hard to be sure what he’s even talking about.” He goes on to point out the obvious, which is that we should be proud of our actions in Europe before and during the war, regardless of whether or not they antagonized the Nazis.
Senator Paul at the time of the video and in remarks since, referred to a nuclear Iran as “not a good idea”, which is true, in much the same way that sticking one’s hand in a wood chipper is a “not a good idea”.
Equally as troubling is his explanation of the rationale for sanctions being “doing something is better than doing nothing.” A colleague objects to Paul’s “straw man” and remarks “is this how we think about national security now?” Good question. Another good question is whether or not the first consideration in pursuing American interests and security is whether or not an enemy or “rogue” nation may become annoyed with us.
Rubin says that “these comments, his bizarre take on historical events and his current opposition to sanctions (in accord with President Obama) raise troubling issues regarding his true beliefs and the degree to which his father’s radical libertarian ideas have rubbed off on him.”
Indeed the issues are raised. And going into 2016, Obamaesque waffling on treading lightly or Ron Paul-like isolationism are not attributes anyone in this party should be looking for in a candidate. Answers to those issues, therefore, should be top priority for Senator Paul.
*Updated with partial transcription of relevant portion for those without audio. 10:43 AM.
But it was ok for US companies to trade with Germany? Or are you unaware?
So they got angry....Doesn’t mean it was wrong to do.
The Japanese cut us off also, was not a one way street. The last shipment of silk from Japan was confiscated by the US govt for parachutes and the ladies were a little upset for lack of hosiery.
Again, read the headline, that is not what was said but IS what is being discussed. A very emotionally charged headline.
I am just urging caution. I don’t agree with Paul on everything, amnesty being one, but if this is being done with Paul now, you can damn well bet that if the GOPDC bunch get wind Cruz is running, they will dig up whatever it takes to turn voters off on him too.
By the time they are done, all that will be left is Newt and Huckabee(the spoiler) to stop Jeb or Tubby. LOL
Speaking of Al-Qaeda...
Iraq asking for more US help against al-Qaeda
No that is not the point. The point was that Asians bitterly resented the European political and economic dominance of Europeans and Americans in their lives. When Mr. Kerry jets in with his people or an American politician however well meaning dreams up an “intervention”, Asians are usually resentful.
Gee, you just made an entirely different claim and description.
Now it isn’t about Chinese aggression and America at all, it is all Orientals united against America and whites.
So now you have China, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines in a racial alliance against us.
Are you from China’s propaganda department?
this smearing of senator Paul is just a reminder that TRUTH is the first casua;ty in war;and there is a not-so-civil war right now in the GOP.
Steel and Oil topped the list of Japanese imports. Battleships don't run well on bamboo and rice paper.
Cutting Oil in a move to get them out of China forced them to embrace Nazi Germany (not a hard fit). It was moving the fleet to Pearl Harbor that did the trick—why? so we could strike the home Islands if they moved on Oil Rich Dutch east indies. FDR Knew an attack was coming but he never expected it to be as bad as it was—he needed it to get the Americans into the War to knock out Hitler. But he cursed us with a powerful USSR and handed them Eastern Europe. (and China etc...)
The Left was all for staying out of the war, until Hitler attacked their beloved Soviet Union.
Newsflash: Confronting evil makes evil angry.
You are confusing "rational" with "moral". The Japanese response to the oil sanctions was immensely rational. Once the oil tap was shut, the Japanese Navy had 6 months of steaming, after that, nothing. Thus, the Japanese were presented with two options:
1. submit
2. secure the oil within 6 months.
They chose option #2.
The underlying point being that we forced their hand, and they chose a different course of action than we hoped (maybe, depending on your view of FDR). And THAT is Paul's point, and an excellent point at that.
I don’t know where Rand Paul is getting his WWII philosophy which is a little screwy. Probably had Dad feeding him this line since birth.
But in all fairness nobody has had any luck stopping Iran from getting the bomb. If it wasn’t for the Mossad picking off a good number of their nuclear scientists they probably would already have it.
The only other thing I would say in defense of Rand Paul is that he did come out strongly to protest Obama’s insane decision to get rid of the Tomahawk missiles.
Most people running for President do not have a strong grasp of foreign policy. Its kind of an on the job training program. Once they take office and the Book of Secrets is put in front of them they usually wise up pretty fast. Obama and Jimmah excluded of course. :-)
Come on, you know that is not what is being said.The simple point is that when Americans however well meaning entangle themselves in the affairs of foreign cultures and distant countries. more often than not the US is resented and the security of the US despite material and human sacrifices is not enhanced. If Rand Paul is elected a serious reappraisal of American foreign policy will occur.
No, China is a threat to the world, or is on it’s way to be.
The Asians want us on their side to help them in what has already started, and what China is building up to.
The simple fact is, you better start looking at the changes and build up in the Chinese military and aggression which shows us where they are headed, perhaps you can see what so scares Asia, not about America, but about China.
Watch the video where he says it
I'd love to see that Ace card but the Russians are going to keep it very close to the chest. But I think it was the Russians that intercepted and released the Nuland call discussing the installation of "Yats" as the Ukrainian puppet leader and the Erdogan tape of him plotting a false flag attack on his own country to bring NATO into the war with Syria. They know how to play this game.
Yet many on the Right will put their peripheral and party politics ahead of America's best interests and kill their own. You expect this kind of thing from the Left but sad to see it from the Right, America's only hope, barring a miracle from God himself (I'm hoping).
The only reason to put that Fleet there in the manner that it was was to act as bait, to entice the Japanese into firing the first shot.
FDR could not have cared less about Europe. FDR was a Communist and everything he did before and during WWII was to save the Soviet Union and further the cause of Communism.
Rather than the checkers/chess metaphor, I would say the Chinese have been reading Sun Tzu while we’re reading Dr. Seuss.
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