Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Why do pundits harp on Ron Paul as isolationist? Non-interventionism clearly is not isolationist so why do the pundits keep characterizing him as out of touch with reality when he is the most sensible candidate on the subject?by Michael McDonnough
(Libertarian)
Monday, November 12, 2007
The press keep harping that his foreign policy is isolationist and they keep trying to characterize him that way as if he is out of touch with reality. It is an absurd notion that people seem to really think that our 700 worldwide bases and trillion dollar annual defense spending largess are somehow required to make us safe.
The expenditures are representative of a huge waste of money for a very poor defense benefit in my opinion. The only ones that care about our military bases overseas in areas we have not had a real strategic requirement to defend in many years are those who have a vested interested in those bases. There is no current strategic advantage for bases in Japan. There is no current strategic advantage for bases in Germany. There is no current strategic advantage for bases in South Korea.
The same can be said for most of our military bases around the world. They are in fact what a businessman would call a bad return on a poor investment. In other words they are a bust and of no value on the financial level. At least when the Roman Empire left a garrison in a conquered region there was a tribute paid for the favor of leaving that army in the area so it was not a total bust and debt to the empire. When the United States Empire has a foreign base we commonly pay rent and damages to the host nation.
So why you might ask are we as Americans still paying for these bases around the world? The reason is greed. The greed of people who have a financial interest in the continuation of these military bases. You and I who are the ones that pay for them do not receive any benefit from them either strategic or financial.
There is no other nation on God's green Earth that has these hundreds of military bases around the world and this is one of the reasons that the United States is now the largest debtor nation in history. We simply cannot afford it and the only presidential candidate that speaks to this is Ron Paul. There is really only one man that has the depth of vision and understanding of the vast numbers of variables involved in governance of this nation and that is Ron Paul.
We simply are not able as a nation to sustain the debt of ideas that the other presidential candidates espouse. We are not able to afford the constant aid that Americans are giving to other nations as well. Think about it this way. We borrow 3 billion dollars from the Chinese or Japanese in a given week and then we turn around and give that borrowed money to the Israelis or the Pakistanis the next week. How does that make any sense?
A debtor nation can't go around being the policeman of the world as well as propping up other nations while we are only going continually deeper in debt. None of these things make any sense so why is it a big surprise to pundits when Ron Paul speaks on such things in his campaign? It makes no sense (did I mention is makes no sense?) and I think this is one of the reasons for his strong showing at present. Paul speaks the truth and sets the record straight on things that simply make sense from a historic and economic level more than any of the other candidates.
If the pundits would have even checked Wikipedia they would see that non-interventionism is clearly not the same as isolationism.
I have some opinions on the real reason for the deliberate bankrupting of America but that is for another article.
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2007 Michael McDonnough, all rights reserved.
Published: Monday, November 12, 2007
Last modified: Tuesday, November 13, 2007
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Yeah I agree. I like how most Neo-Cons call Paul an Isolationist... but they are the ones who are Neo-Isolationist by enforcing embargos and bombing nations causing hatred making us more Isolated. I like how most current GOP canidates claim to want to be like Ronald Reagan... but it was Regan who was a protectionist.... He forced Japan to accept restraints on auto exports... which I think has lead to the big, expensive, American auto industry... lets not mention the ones that pay their factory employees 6 digit salaries.
Posted By: Champion Of the Constitution!
Date: 2007-11-12 14:44:26
"I have some opinions on the real reason for the deliberate bankrupting of America but that is for another article"
I have some interesting ideas myself, none of them end very well for you an me though.
Micheal, were you at one time an arborist? I believe I may be an old friend of yours from Illinois. If not, keep up the good articles on Ron but, do some spell checking and editing before you publish them ;o)
I believe that those who call Ron Paul an isolationist do so with the full knowledge that it is incorrect. A slight trick that will fool some but ultimately will not stop the Ron Paul Revolution. The politics as usual crowd do not realize that all of this is just the tip of the Ron Paul iceberg and that includes the main stream media.
Just Google the speech made today by Gordon Brown (UK Prime Minister) on international obligations and the intertwined "New World Order." He believes, along with some European elitists and, of course, Bush, that "we" can create a better international society--that we cannot escape these obligations. Of course, paying for these ideals in hard money and liberties lost was not discussed. To see this kind of rhetoric is insightful--it shows what kind of idealistic ideologues we "real people" are up against.
If the elitists had to pay out of their own pockets for their ideas, they'd stop thinking. Then, the world would be a better place.
Seriously, great writing... Too often, people (especially in media) get caught up in the 'cult of personality' type of journalism and forget the Presidential race is really a stretched out Job Interview. I don't care if the guy I hire has great teeth, dresses funny or smells- I want someone to do the job well and not screw things up! Ron Paul may be overqualified, but I'd hire him for President!
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2007 Michael McDonnough, all rights reserved.