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Ted Cruz, the only Republican arrogant enough to be president
PJ Media's Spengler ^ | May 16, 2015 | David P. Goldman

Posted on 05/16/2015 10:20:36 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Ted Cruz is intellectually arrogant, like Ronald Reagan. The difference is that Reagan masked his arrogance with self-deprecating humor. Sen. Cruz does a Reagan impression that would do a nightclub comedian proud, but he doesn’t have Reagan’s easy and spontaneous humor.

One doesn’t think of Reagan as arrogant, but he was in fact the most arrogant leader we have had since Lincoln. He ignored the whole of the foreign policy establishment in his conviction that America stood to win the Cold War and bring down Communism. Then as now, the foreign policy establishment resembled Jonathan Swift’s scientists on the floating island of Laputa, treading perilously close to the edge with noses in the air.

Sen. Cruz is authentically bright, sufficiently so for the liberal Alan Dershowitz to declare that he was the best student he had ever had at Harvard’s Law School. The conservative legal theorist Robert P. George, who taught Cruz at Princeton, says the same thing. He’s so smart that he is not the least impressed by the conservative foreign policy establishment.

That’s what qualifies Ted Cruz for the presidency. Among the Republican candidates, Cruz is the only one to state plainly that we stayed too long in Iraq and erred in trying to turn it into Switzerland. (I exclude Rand Paul, who is a dumb rube isolationist of the old school and unqualified for national office). Contrast this to Jeb Bush, who thinks we didn’t stay long enough. Cruz still has some things to learn, to be sure. Sending arms to Ukraine, as he proposes, is pointless. Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants to keep Ukraine in civil war indefinitely, and will match whatever we send in order to do so. Putin wants revenge for the West’s effort to break Ukraine out of the Russian sphere, and leaving the West with a bloody, bankrupt, ungovernable mess on its doorstep is his best move. As Prof. Angelo Codevilla told a Claremont Institute gathering last October, the way to frustrate Putin is to let him keep the Russian-majority Eastern Ukraine, a rust-bucket and money pit of no value to the West; the Western part of Ukraine would then be Catholic and pro-Western.

Sixteen years of George W. Bush and Barack Obama will leave the next president with a different world: a new Sino-Russian entente directed against theUS, and chaos in most of the Middle East. Both are the consequence of foreign policy utopianism. We destroyed the century-long balance of power in Iraq and Syria by forcing majority rule in Iraq, and stood godfather to a perpetual Sunni-Shi’ite civil war. We tried to flip Ukraine to the West, and Putin allied with China. We have scored nothing but own-goals. We are spending a trillion and a half dollar on the Edsel of the air, the F-35, and have allowed China to narrow the technology gap that once made the United States the dominant superpower.

The foreign policy establishment of both parties agrees that it is America’s mission to remake the world in its own image, although the liberal Wilsonian and the neo-conservative Republican versions of this utopia have minor differences. We need a president arrogant enough to ignore the whole pack of them, just like Reagan did. That requires arrogance more than any other quality.

Things looked bad when Ronald Reagan came into office. Most of the intellectual elite in Europe as well as the US thought that Russia would win the Cold War. Of course, Reagan had one gigantic advantage: the US was the only venue in the world where an entrepreneur could raise money for disruptive new technologies. The talent of the world came to America, while Russia and China remained paralyzed by Communism and Europe remained moribund. That’s not true today: China and other Asian countries are innovating, in some cases faster than we are. If you don’t believe me, visit the Science Park in Shenzhen where Tencent and other Chinese computer firms have facilities. The next president will have a much tougher mission. Sen. Cruz is the only candidate I who is tough, smart and arrogant enough to do the job.

Marco Rubio is a bright and personable young man with an attractive message, but he is callow enough to think that Bill Kristol and Charles Krauthammer are foreign policy sages. Rubio speaks eloquently of his support for Israel, but a great deal of what he proposes will damage Israeli interests. For the past ten years, Russia has told us that it would hurt us in Iran in retaliation for Western efforts to get control of Ukraine. Russia is threatening to give Iran sophisticated air-defense systems; if it wants to, Russia can create a huge amount of trouble for us in Iran. America’s stupidity in Ukraine turns Israel into collateral damage; every Israeli I know thinks that American policy toward Ukraine is crazy.

Scott Walker is a terrific governor and an attractive candidate, but he has no foreign policy experience–unlike Reagan, who did a weekly foreign policy radio broadcast for a decade, and did his own research. Walker could persuade me that he knows what he’s doing, but I haven’t heard much from him yet. Foreign policy is too important for the next administration for us to elect a president who needs on-the-job training.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections; Russia; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2016election; 2016gopprimary; billkristol; charleskrauthammer; china; crimea; cruz2016; davidpgoldman; donetsk; election2016; florida; iran; israel; lping; marcorubio; paultardation; paultardnoisemachine; putinsbuttboys; randpaul; randpaulnoisemachine; randsconcerntrolls; reagan; ronaldreagan; rubio; russia; scottwalker; spengler; tedcruz; texas; ukraine; vladtheimploder; wisconsin
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To: ansel12

Cruz has the mental ability, the sharpness of wit and strength of character of Reagan. I agree.

But Walker has been in the trenches fighting and winning against liberals as the governor of a liberal state, just like Reagan in California (though of course, California is huge).

If we could somehow fuse Cruz and Walker together into a single person, we would have an 80% Reagan.


41 posted on 05/16/2015 11:23:19 PM PDT by samtheman
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To: GeronL

Arrogant is the right word, and more importantly, the right attitude.


42 posted on 05/16/2015 11:23:20 PM PDT by matthew fuller (God bless and protect Pamela Geller.)
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To: samtheman
LOL! Do you really think that the Cruz response would be talking?

The liberals don't care about rhetoric. They ignore it.

Cruz understands that. He'll go for action that makes a difference, not some soundbite that will get ignored.

I don't expect that you were going to vote for Cruz anyway.

That's ok. People like me, and I will continue to volunteer and send real money to the Cruz campaign.

/johnny

43 posted on 05/16/2015 11:26:59 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: samtheman

That thing with Walker and the unions, isn’t just great, it is magnificent.

I think that this will flesh out in time.


44 posted on 05/16/2015 11:32:39 PM PDT by ansel12
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To: JRandomFreeper

We don’t know what Cruz will do until he has a chance to do something.

I will vote for either Cruz or Walker, whoever wins the nomination.

In my primary vote, if both are still standing, I’ll decide between them at the time. By then I will have seen a lot more of both of them, especially since my state is late in the game.


45 posted on 05/16/2015 11:32:47 PM PDT by samtheman
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To: ansel12

I agree with you. Like I said, in the trenches. You don’t get more in the trenches than the — what was it 3? — major battles he won as Governor against huge opposing forces.


46 posted on 05/16/2015 11:34:03 PM PDT by samtheman
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To: samtheman
RE:”But Walker has been in the trenches fighting and winning against liberals as the governor of a liberal state, just like Reagan in California (though of course, California is huge).”

Walker unlike the pretenders has demonstrated that he can beat the libs.

Of course I am sure some want the libs to win so they can say ‘I told you so’ and that we must go hide in the Mountains.

Walker shows how to lead photo walker braveheart3_zpscwfbhjm7.jpg

47 posted on 05/16/2015 11:39:08 PM PDT by sickoflibs (King Obama : 'The debate is over. The time for talk is over. Just follow my commands you serfs""')
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To: sickoflibs

See post 44. I think it is correct.


48 posted on 05/16/2015 11:39:59 PM PDT by samtheman
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To: samtheman

I prefer Cruz, but these arguments will be so much more difficult (tighter) than the last 2 cycles.

The reason being, that there are no devils in this mix, just normal-to better-to best, republicans, even a conservative or two.


49 posted on 05/16/2015 11:40:32 PM PDT by ansel12
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To: samtheman
I know exactly what Cruz will do. He's been my senator since that election that sent the GOP-E favorite, Dewhurss, back to his farm, unemployed.

Before that, Cruz represented Texas in front of the Supreme Court.

I have an agenda. Instead of waiting for whatever hack the media or GOP-E pick to vote for.. I'm trying, along with many others to make sure that I can vote for a conservative. Cruz.

'Whoever' is most likely to be a liberal, like Romney was.

/johnny

50 posted on 05/16/2015 11:41:38 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: JRandomFreeper; ansel12

I like Cruz. I like Walker. The purpose of a nomination process is to decide between the options within the party.

What’s sad is here in FR there are going to be billions of bits of hateful words wasted, wasted, wasted, wasted between strong Cruz supporters and strong Walker supporters.

That’s not just sad, it’s also pathetic and bogus.


51 posted on 05/16/2015 11:46:23 PM PDT by samtheman
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To: samtheman
My first extranormal animated video (2011)

A Liberal Teacher explains Union Busting (Scott Walker Tribute, Feb 26, 2011)

52 posted on 05/16/2015 11:47:26 PM PDT by sickoflibs (King Obama : 'The debate is over. The time for talk is over. Just follow my commands you serfs""')
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To: samtheman
It is sad if people take it personally.

I don't.

I'll just keep volunteering and sending real money to the Cruz campaign.

I have an agenda, and will continue to work, with many others, to make sure he's the last one standing.

I refuse to be passive and vote for 'whoever' without giving the media and GOP-E some pushback.

No more liberal Romney types.

/johnny

53 posted on 05/16/2015 11:50:54 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: samtheman

Well, you sure spit that out.

So FR sucks and we suck, and everyone sucks, unless they support your governor from that famous protector of conservatism, Wisconsin.


54 posted on 05/16/2015 11:50:54 PM PDT by ansel12
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To: ansel12

He’s not my governor. He’s not my candidate. Why are you angry at me?


55 posted on 05/16/2015 11:52:50 PM PDT by samtheman
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To: JRandomFreeper

You are right about the Romney fiasco in 2012.


56 posted on 05/16/2015 11:55:36 PM PDT by samtheman
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To: samtheman
"What’s sad is here in FR there are going to be billions of bits of hateful words wasted, wasted, wasted, wasted between strong Cruz supporters and strong Walker supporters.
That’s not just sad, it’s also pathetic and bogus.

I'm not angry at anyone.

But you seem a little angry.

57 posted on 05/17/2015 12:04:36 AM PDT by ansel12
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To: ansel12

in 2012 a lot of good conservatives got in very long personal fights with each other.

It made me sad.


58 posted on 05/17/2015 12:13:05 AM PDT by samtheman
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To: samtheman

No they didn’t.

There were no “very long” very long personal fights with each other among conservatives, so you are a Scott Walker guy trying to sell liberalism here?


59 posted on 05/17/2015 12:20:30 AM PDT by ansel12
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
NOT "arrogant"!
Intelligent, and principled enough to EXPOSE the "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS" and the DemocRATS ... for the VILE and ANTI Constitutionalists that they ARE !
60 posted on 05/17/2015 12:42:55 AM PDT by Yosemitest (It's Simple ! Fight, ... or Die !)
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