Posted on 04/19/2015 6:22:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Bernie Sanders couldn’t have said it better:
“There’s a group of folks in our party who would have troops in six countries right now — maybe more,” the Kentucky senator told hundreds of activists at a GOP cattle call that has drawn every major presidential aspirant. “This is something, if you watch closely, that will separate me from many other Republicans. The other Republicans will criticize Hillary Clinton and the president for their foreign policy, but they would have done the same thing – just 10 times over!”
“Six countries – maybe more”? Which countries, Senator? And how many of your rivals have proposed sending troops to Syria? To Yemen? To Libya? (Do we have to count Lindsey Graham?)
Rand Paul is trying to separate himself from other candidates on foreign policy while not appearing to be a head-in-the-sand isolationist. But in doing so, does he have to lie like a Democrat about his opponents?
“Everyone who will criticize me wanted troops on the ground, our troops on the ground, in Libya,” he said. “It was a mistake to be in Libya. We are less safe. Jihadists swim in our swimming pool now. It’s a disaster.”
Did Ted Cruz want troops on the ground in Libya? Did Scott Walker, Chris Christie, or any other GOP governor who might run for president want troops on the ground in Libya? Marco Rubio specifically advised against troops on the ground in Libya, believing that the president could have intervened “more decisively” but rejecting American military intervention.
Paul’s statement is either an ignorant rant or a baldfaced lie. Falsely accusing opponents of things they don’t believe and wouldn’t do obscures Paul’s real problems with rank-and-file Republicans who want a president to stand up strongly for American interests and want to make America the pre-eminent military and economic power in the world once again. Many simply don’t believe his foreign-policy ideas are proactive enough. They are suspicious of his libertarian leanings on national-defense strategy.
One aspect of a Paul campaign Republican regulars can get behind is his position on NSA snooping:
Contrasting himself with most others in the field, Paul also promised to end the federal government’s collection of American phone records if elected president. “I’m a Republican who believes in the right to privacy,” he said. “It doesn’t mean collecting 300 million people’s phone records. The 4th amendment is not consistent with a warrant that says Mr. Verizon on it. Last I heard Mr. Verizon isn’t a person.”
“Your phone records are yours,” he declared. “It’s none of the government’s damn business what you’re doing on your phone.”
“You can say damn in New Hampshire, can’t you?” he quipped.
“Damn straight,” a man yelled back from the crowd.
NSA spying is a peripheral national-security issue and there is disagreement among the candidates about how much of what the NSA has been doing is really necessary. This is a legitimate way for Paul to put distance between himself and his rivals — as long as he accurately enumerates their positions.
But otherwise, Paul’s rank dishonesty in describing what his opponents would do if elected is intolerable. Might we see a sound bite of Paul dishonestly ripping his opponents in a Hillary Clinton commercial? Perhaps the senator should think about that the next time he feels compelled to grossly exaggerate the positions of his opponents.
A term the left uses and now Paul does now he is running.
Of course he does....he is his father’s son....
I stand with Ted.
Real conservatives don’t fall for libertardian nonsense
That’s because islamonazis are hydra. Cut one head off and another sprouts up. Military actions will never extinguish it but only put us in a perpetual state of multifront war. So what to do? Disengage and let them rot. The threat they.pose to us is in direct connection to our interference in their region. So let’s let it go and good riddance to bad rubbish... The Middle Eastern states need our support to prop them up more than we need them.
meh....Paul is wrong on most everything. I don’t have to like Rubio or Nancy Boy in order to know that Rand is his father’s son. He is a libertardian first last and always.
I stand with Ted
A term invented by the neocons themselves. Bill Kristols father, Irving wrote a book with it in the title.
How are you related to Pat Buchanan?
Rand will say anything and often does, with both feet firmly stuck way down his throat.
Our military has been cut to the bone, troop levels cut, and you sleep the sleep of the uninformed.
At what point will American interests be in danger enough for the country to act? It seems that ISIS and Al Qaeda and Boko Haram and other islamic groups are creating a coalition. It appears that, once again, Yemen will be the base for launching attacks. How strong do they have to get before the US can fight them?
I’ll take Buchanan over Bush anyday.
What I’d expect from his nephew. Or is it grandson?
I’ll say it again, we spend more money than every nation combined on military spending. Even with cuts, this wouldn’t change. Government ought to take a page out of private business playbook and learn how to do more with less.
why does it matter to Paul about the GOP when he is not even a republican let alone a conservative. He;s a liberal-tarian.
I suggest that you refrain from posting tripe here and find some LP site to post you, where you will be much happier.
I’ll say it again, we spend more money than every nation combined on military spending
Another term the far left uses.
Think you have wandered onto the wrong site, this is a conservative site and I suggest as a favor you read what Jim the founder of this site has written about using this website to spew crap.
Yeah.....we should have stayed out of WW II, as well, I guess. LOL
I didn’t know that states rights and cutting the scope and spending of federal government was a bad thing... I would hope such a message would be the backbone of the GOP... But perhaps you’re right... Paul shouldn’t address this message to Republicans because they are just as bad as the dems.. good point manc.
From your posts, it doesn't appear that you have!
Open border, drugs legal, cut the military, homosexual agenda are hardly conservative.
Again I suggest you read what Jim has written about using this site and what we conservatives stand for before you do get banned like so many before you who have come out with the same tired talk.
We can expect more of this I think . Remember when his daddy ran and how many trolls came on then too?
Soon to be known as “also Rand”.
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