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Eli Lake

The coming Republican battle over foreign policy

But the coming intra-Republican debate won’t pit realists against neocons so much as it will pit both groups against the Tea Party. While neocons and realists may differ on how frequently and where America should deploy its power, they are generally in agreement that America should have a military befitting a superpower.

This is not, however, the case for many (though not all) Tea Partiers. As Dean Clancy, the legislative counsel for Freedom Works, an advocacy group closely aligned with the Tea Party, told The Daily Beast, “We think defense should contribute its fair share toward balancing the budget over the next 10 years.” In other words, the military, like the welfare state, needs to be cut.

In the coming weeks, the defense budget will be at the center of negotiations over the deficit. If no compromise is reached before January, there are supposed to be sharp reductions in defense spending over the next 10 years totaling around $500 billion—part of a process known as sequestration. “Our No. 1 concern is that Congress not call the whole sequester off,” Clancy said.

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But the coming intra-Republican debate won’t pit realists against neocons so much as it will pit both groups against the Tea Party. While neocons and realists may differ on how frequently and where America should deploy its power, they are generally in agreement that America should have a military befitting a superpower.

Yeah, sign me up with the Tea Party on that one.

For the Republican party to be pontificating on American foreign policy at the moment smacks of irrelevance and delusion.

HitNRun on November 9, 2012 at 5:10 PM

Yeah let’s just go Dem on foreign policy tea party.. Get rid of all the military. And guess what it won’t take care of a dent in the frickin deficit. One trillion dollars in cuts off the military’s backs- Veterans getting the shaft off their healthcare they earned while everyone else gets Obamacare.

I have no frickin problem trimmin the fat on defense, but I have a HUGE problem when we talk about cutting crap and defense is the ONLY thing that gets cut!

melle1228 on November 9, 2012 at 5:15 PM

Yeah let’s just go Dem on foreign policy tea party.. Get rid of all the military. And guess what it won’t take care of a dent in the frickin deficit. One trillion dollars in cuts off the military’s backs- Veterans getting the shaft off their healthcare they earned while everyone else gets Obamacare.

melle1228 on November 9, 2012 at 5:15 PM

I think they’re talking primarily about the Ron Paul types. I don’t really feel like I fit with any of the major wings of the current conservative movements as I favor steep “social spending” cuts but also support a very aggressive, national interest-based foreign policy.

Doomberg on November 9, 2012 at 5:35 PM

I favor steep “social spending” cuts but also support a very aggressive, national interest-based foreign policy.

Why do you support a “very aggressive, national interest-based foreign policy”? Does a “very aggressive, national interest-based foreign policy” work in your interest at all? War is unconservative in how it changes domestic society.

That being said, the US can’t cut it’s military spending… we’ve gone from the Gold standard to the Aircraft Carrier standard. Our military is what allows us to print up money.

ninjapirate on November 9, 2012 at 5:45 PM

What we have here is another Obama Presstitute Organ conflating the PaulNuts and the Tea Party. With that said, the split between the Tea Party and the GOP is real and growing.

Steve Eggleston on November 9, 2012 at 5:48 PM

That being said, the US can’t cut it’s military spending… we’ve gone from the Gold standard to the Aircraft Carrier standard. Our military is what allows us to print up money.

ninjapirate on November 9, 2012 at 5:45 PM

Indeed… no foreign creditor is going to attempt to repossess the United States so long as America can blow the @#$% out of any and all comers.

Alberta_Patriot on November 9, 2012 at 6:16 PM

That being said, the US can’t cut it’s military spending… we’ve gone from the Gold standard to the Aircraft Carrier standard. Our military is what allows us to print up money.

ninjapirate on November 9, 2012 at 5:45 PM

Frighteningly true.

I wonder what would happen if the military suddenly announced they were only protecting red states, and evacuated everything down to the last buck private with a pistol from blue states.

MelonCollie on November 9, 2012 at 6:43 PM