Beyond Reason
columnist: mediator

Topic: Foreign Policy
Iraqi Parliament Agrees--Just Come Home!

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The Iraqi Parliament has called for a U.S. withdrawal timetable and requires Iraqi approval for continued U.S. occupation of Iraq. Let's abide by their decision!

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by mediator
(Libertarian)
Thursday, January 17, 2008

Some people mistakenly view Ron Paul as weak on national defense. Dr. Paul served proudly as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960's.  Ron Paul is for a strong national defense, but believes any war we enter should be declared by Congress. He endorses the Just War Theory of defense against attack, but opposes the  concept of preemptive war as immoral.  As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "Preventive war was an invention of Hitler.  Frankly, I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked about such a thing."  Although we were cruelly attacked on 9-11, it was not Iraq that attacked us.

Ron Paul has been in Congress for 10 terms. He began opposing the policy of "regime change" in Iraq when it first became a foreign policy objective under President Clinton. Just as our founding fathers, Dr. Paul does not believe it to be moral or wise to meddle in other nations' internal affairs. He remained opposed to the pursuit of regime change in Iraq when it continued to be the policy of the Bush administration from the very start--well before September 11th.

Ron Paul proposed that Congress should vote to declare war in Iraq if it was determined that the U.S. should invade.  Congress did not do so, but instead passed their responsibility to President Bush.  Ron Paul believes the President has authority to respond to an imminent attack, but that, constitutionally, Congress must pass any actual declarations of war.  Congressional declarations of war help to assure thorough discussions, clear objectives, and a unified country prior to engaging in war.  This minimizes  no-win wars, police actions, and counter-productive nation building.

Ron Paul voted to pursue the actual perpetrators guilty of the 9-11 terrorist attack.  He did not vote to declare war against the country of Iraq, which was not involved in the attack on our country.  Most of the attackers were from Saudi Arabia.  If we chose to attack a country for the actions of a group of terrorists, perhaps Saudi Arabia would be a more plausible choice.

Ron Paul opposes war to  fulfill U.N. resolutions or to secure "our" oil interests.  He argues that our security has been diminished rather than enhanced by the Iraq war.  We need to understand why we were attacked.  Radicals are willing to give up their lives in suicide terrorist attacks because we have been occupying Arab countries with our bases, supporting unpopular rulers (even dictators) to curry their oil favors, and applying sanctions (which Dr. Paul considers acts of war in themselves) that have caused thousands upon thousands of deaths.  Radical extremists are much stronger because of our invasion of Iraq than they were before we entered that country.  We must cease the policy of meddling in the internal affairs of other nations.

Pakistan is only one of the more recent examples of the failure of U.S. attempts to win influence by supporting unpopular leaders that might aid our interests. The reliance by President George W. Bush's administration on "war on terror" ally  Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has not worked.  Our billions in aid to his government have produced little, and with Benazir Bhutto's assasination, the country is in turmoil.  Ron Paul's approach to foreign policy is just, consistent, and superior in outcome.¹

We are only able to continue the war in Iraq by borrowing about $2 billion daily from countries like China.  Does it enhance our national security to give China immense financial leverage over our country?  Ron Paul believes not.  Our country is literally going bankrupt financing the war, as well as our military presence all around the world.  If we do not change our foreign policy we will face devastating economic consequences.

Ron Paul is not an isolationist.  He wants free and fair trade with all nations.  He would like friendly trading with countries so we can influence them to take up our ideals of liberty.  But he does not believe we should impose our ideals by force.

Dr. Paul urges that we protect our own borders to defend our nation.  He opposes current plans for a North American Union that would merge Canada, Mexico, and the United States. 

Unfortunately, some believe we should remain in Iraq even if it was an unwise and unconstitutional preemptive war.  However, most people do not realize that the Iraqi Parliament has called for the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal, and required parliamentary approval for continued U.S. occupation.²  In spite of parliament's wishes, President Bush and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki have sought U.N. resolutions to "extend the legality" of the occupation without Iraqi legislative input.  Is this how democracy is promoted?  If the Iraqi Parliament has asked us to leave, is it honorable to stay against their wishes?

The declared wishes of the Iraqi parliament are a weighty factor.  The American voter should no longer feel some kind of obligation to continue the occupation of Iraq.  We have asked Iraq to step up and govern themselves.  Their Parliament has taken the challenge!  Support Ron Paul and seize this opportune moment to end the error of Iraq and return to a humble, noninterventionist foreign policy.

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¹ http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/beito3.html 

 ² http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JA04Ak03.html

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2008 mediator, all rights reserved.
Published: Thursday, January 17, 2008
Last modified: Thursday, January 17, 2008

The views expressed in this article are those of mediator only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. mediator is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.

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