True, if that is in fact what Ron Paul is advocating. Which it isn’t. And which makes all the paranoid slurs (”bircheresque”) revealing. I’m not even a supporter of Paul as president, though I know that what he is advocating shouldn’t be foreign to traditional conservatives and classical liberals.

He is not advocating isolation and disengagement. He’s advocating a return to reality and history, national sovereignty, sound money, Constitutional republicanism, free-markets, privacy based upon private property, and small government (remember that one? Remember Reagan’s “government’s not the solution, it’s the problem”?). All of these were at one time ideas well at home with conservatives and classical liberals. But fear and hatred play better on Fox, NRO, and HotAir. The War Party (which includes Republicans and Democrats) is easier and more fun to belong to than the long haul of self-government and eternal vigilance.

The irony is that the Bush escapade of spreading (by force) democracy and freedom throughout the world, while neglecting the security of his own country’s borders, is pure leftism; radicalism; Jacobinism. It certainly isn’t conservative.

Impeach Bush.

I mean, bombing the rest of the world for eternity? Occupying Saudi Arabia? What the frack? What planet are you guys on?

As to the bizarre notion that if we just park all our carriers and pull all our troops back to Nebraska, suddenly the Islamic world will be all (non-alcoholic) wine and roses, give me a break. Like all those Islamic Terror attacks in Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe… they’re all, yep, because of us. No matter how far back they go.

Barbary pirates enslaving a million Europeans? Conquest of Andalusia? Slaughter of the Zoroastrians? And on and on and on… hiding is not going to deal with this threat, and negotiation has about a zero percent track record in this arena.

Maybe there’s a cause for Islamic Violence OTHER THAN the US and Israel, given how long it predates the existence of both.

Maybe Iraqi Reconstruction isn’t the best possible plan to create a counterbalancing force in the region, but it’s a thousand times better than sticking your fingers in your ears and humming real loud!!!

Ron Paul rocks the paradigm of those who lack the imagination to think outside of what Hannity, Ingraham, Rush, and the War Party, tell them to think. Your posts are excellent.

Asked about the John Birch Society Society by the New York Times, Ron Paul responds, “Is that BAD? I have a lot of friends in the John Birch Society. They’re generally well-educated and they understand the Constitution. I don’t know……

DEAD TO ME.

I’ll take you out to Mama’s and we’ll be back on track. :-)

good summary, what drives these types to be so blind and irrational is the question?

I think there are, in addition to the fruitcakes, other Ron Paul supporters right now that don’t know alot about him and these things yet. They are less political and just hear him and his rhetoric on small govt. stuff contrasted with the GOP party line with bush and other leading candidates now that is basically big govt. conservatism(i.e. pragmatism and political realities).

jp on July 20, 2007 at 7:36 PM

Did I sound like Mark Levin? Think he’ll let me guest host?

I happen to think not bombing the rest of the world for eternity might be a decent idea. How about trying some other solutions–e.g., not giving foreign aid to Muslim countries, not occupying Saudi Arabia, decreasing Muslim immigration to the U.S. for the time being, etc.

(And those are just the easy suggestions, that is, the ones that don’t even touch on the relationship between the U.S. and Israel.)

tad on July 20, 2007 at 6:39 PM

Since you seem to miss the point, I’ll explain it to you. Islam is not going to back down. It is their everlasting history that they fight the world till they are NUMERO UNO! It is their history, because it is the SOLE doctrine of Islam to murder, rape (women and children) and pillage.

Acting nice and dissing Israel won’t solve the problem. They’ll keep coming.

Note to the JBS: It’s Communists and Muslims that are the problems, you MORONS!

Tim Burton on July 20, 2007 at 7:00 PM

good summary, what drives these types to be so blind and irrational is the question?

I think there are, in addition to the fruitcakes, other Ron Paul supporters right now that don’t know alot about him and these things yet. They are less political and just hear him and his rhetoric on small govt. stuff contrasted with the GOP party line with bush and other leading candidates now that is basically big govt. conservatism(i.e. pragmatism and political realities).

http://www.latestpolitics.com/blog/2007/05/ron-paul-and-anti-semitism.html

“By far the most powerful lobby in Washington of the bad sort is the Israeli government.” Ron Paul

I think it’s funny that the name calling by people who label Ron Paul the “Bircheresque crank” sound so much like the unhinged libs in Malkins book.

Heh. I won’t tell Ace you said that.

I always prefer to judge men by their own merit, and not by their associations or acquaintances – especially in situations where they are willing and able to give their own opinion freely.

add that fact with what Ron Paul has done and said in regards of Israel. He votes against them every time in congress when a vote of support comes up and has publicly said that “Israel is of the worst of lobbies in Washington”

Yes. That was the beginning and the end of the story for me. If we can’t stand by our friends it’s a sad day.

I just hate how they blame it all on the Jews.

add that fact with what Ron Paul has done and said in regards of Israel. He votes against them every time in congress when a vote of support comes up and has publicly said that “Israel is of the worst of lobbies in Washington”…I mean of all the lobbies and he is singling out Israel as the bad guys.

keep taking it further with his idiotic, wrong and dangerous views of the Middle east, Islam/Jihad and history on the subject and you start to see a candidate either blinded by hate or an absolute idiot.

The guy has a conservative voting record. Period. This reminds me of when Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. All the “top tier” candidates are like her, maybe they have the buzz of being conservative. But people just weren’t sure she could deliver as promised. Bush rightly accepted her withdrawal.

Same thing with the Presidency, we had 6 years of GOP control of the White House and Congress and what did we get? Uncontrolled spending, rapid expansion of government, nothing done on securing our border. I’ll take the guy that has the trackrecord of voting against all of that consistently.

Nice accusation. Back that up?

rho on July 20, 2007 at 6:48 PM

Can I prove it? Of course not–any more than you can prove that it didn’t happen. That’s the thing about self-identifying, anybody can say anything they want. But it certainly fits the already well-established pattern of Ron Paul zombie behavior. And considering that just the other day you were trying to use that as evidence that the military just loves St. Paul, I’m pretty comfortable with my accusation.

Note to the JBS: It’s Communists and Muslims that are the problems, you MORONS!

If your campaign strategy is based on genius ideas like “Hey, let’s all self-identify as military, so it’ll look like St. Paul has a lot of military support!”, you’re pretty much just participating in a circle-jerk.

Nice accusation. Back that up?

I remember how conservatives used to complain when the MSM would go pick out the biggest, stupidest redneck to show on TV as an example of “red-state America”. Who knew conservatives were itching to do the same at first opportunity?

I’m pretty sure Allah “disdains” him because he’s a nut. More than anything else, however, I “disdain” him because of his supporters.

amerpundit on July 20, 2007 at 5:58 PM

That pretty much sums it up for me. Watching people act like insane cultists just creeps me out. And the whole tactic of rigging polls and then trying to sell the rigged results as proof of support for your candidate is both childish and fraudulent. If your campaign strategy is based on genius ideas like “Hey, let’s all self-identify as military, so it’ll look like St. Paul has a lot of military support!”, you’re pretty much just participating in a circle-jerk.

Fair enough. But I’m not lionizing the guy and hailing him as the Republican messiah in 2008, a la Fred Thompson.

Paul is good on guns, good on abortion, good on taxes, good on fiscal policy, and, pork aside (which, by the way, I don’t agree with and have criticized him for in conversations with others), he’s better than at least 80% of elected offcials when it comes to spending.

Let’s be honest: the main issue here is Paul’s not supporting the war in Iraq and the “Global War on Terror” in general.

I happen to think not bombing the rest of the world for eternity might be a decent idea. How about trying some other solutions–e.g., not giving foreign aid to Muslim countries, not occupying Saudi Arabia, decreasing Muslim immigration to the U.S. for the time being, etc.

(And those are just the easy suggestions, that is, the ones that don’t even touch on the relationship between the U.S. and Israel.)

I have a hard time understanding how unoccupied Muslims (with far fewer grievances) who are both unaided by U.S. taxpayer money and unable to get to America are going to commit a hell of a lot of terrorism.

I don’t think Fred Thompson is horrible person, though I’ve yet to see any evidence that he has an incredible conservative record, and it seems, at least to me, that most of his hype comes from the fact that he likes to talk tough about military action.

What really irks me is those people who, while purporting to be ideologically right of center, support either Romney or Giuliani, both of whom are terrible on the standard conservative hot button issues (i.e., guns, abortion, taxes).

Am I going to shoot myself in the face should I have to live with a President Thompson? No. He sure as hell beats possible presidents Clinton and Obama.

But I’m not exactly keen on the prospect of perpetual and concurrent, “We have always been at war with Eastasia!” military engagments with every Muslim country that a Thompson aide can locate on a map.

As I pegged Ron Paul first (to my knowledge) with the appellation “Bircheresque crank,” I’m happy to see Ron Paul admitting he’s got lots of friends in the John Birch Society. They understand the Constitution, after all. They know that……

Spirit of 1776 on July 20, 2007 at 6:27 PM

No problemo.

amerpundit on July 20, 2007 at 6:25 PM

Thanks. Genuinely appreciated.

His libertarianism refusing to take his psychiatrist-prescribed meds is what drives his policy positions.
rho on July 20, 2007 at 6:11 PM

Fixed that for ya, nutjob.

rho on July 20, 2007 at 6:20 PM

Right. So, it’s no longer relevant?

Spirit of 1776 on July 20, 2007 at 6:20 PM

Ok. Here are the exact quotes from Ron Paul’s own House website:

I am concerned, however, that a contrived Gulf of Tonkin- type incident may occur to gain popular support for an attack on Iran.