What I could do if I were prepping Cong. Paul for tonight’s debates! (I am available – I’ll squeeze it in!)
Iran: I would discuss the history BUt I would emphasize that Iran’s enmity is OUR fault. Now what do we do to fix it? You make sure they are watched carefully. Iran is not close to a nuclear bomb. BUT are we prepared to go to war to prevent them from a nuclear bomb? The real reason for war is REGIME CHANGE. Such a war would be massive – not just a surgical strike like Israel did against Iraq in 1980 (Which I supported by the way when many Republicans DID NOT!) to prevent them form becoming a nuclear power. Rest assured, Israel will protect itself – she’s done so for four wars. Sanctions are acts of war that hurt the poor and the ordinary citizens – not the leadership – and just breeds more hatred and blowback. The sanctions against Iraq during Saddam Hussein are implicated in the death of 500,000 children. When Sec. of State Albright was asked about that, she said it was “worth it.” How would our people say about the death of half million of our own kids?
9/11: 9/11 was caused by Al-Qaeda terrorists. We did not invite the attacks and they must be repulsed and the perpetrators punished. But prevention is critical. We were not attacked because we were free and rich. We were attached because we are over there. The CIA and the 9/11 report says so. Michael Scheuer, former head of the bin Laden unit of the CIA says so. Go criticize HIS patriotism sometime! I am thankful for his endorsement. I am concerned about the killing of bin Laden and other options could not be used to bring him to justice.
Israel: Free Israel! Encourage trade and friendship with Israel. Encourage private trade, aid and friendship, too. Take them off the dole that enslaves! We should stand with Israel at the UN, especially unfair attacks that occur regularly.
Huntsman: The tweet was a staffers’ attempt at humor and I have dealt with it appropriately. I am sorry Ambassador was given offense. But if elected, I want to send Ambassador Huntsman to Iran to try to reach out. The fishing boat incident is an opportunity to reach out. There was a time of reaching out when the prior president governed Iran. I do not support the attack by an alleged supporter of mine (who says this is not a dirty trick by a Huntsman or Santorum supporter?) and have repudiated it.
NDAA: Make it clear EARLY that NDAA WILL authorize military arrests and detention without counsel of American citizens accused of being “associated” with terrorists. But who decides? The same President that kills teenage sons of alleged terrorists even though they are US citizens. You cannot execute a juvenile in our courts today; the Supreme Court says no. Who decides? Sen. Graham wants to take lawyers from accused terrorists. But who decides? I prefer the government not have that power. The Federal Criminal Code is way, way too broad as it is.
Isolationist? No I am not an isolationist. I believe in free trade. But I also believe in sovereignty. The Constitution MUST BE the Supreme Law of the Land. Otherwise all the rights that people like Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall fought for are at risk. I would do away with many executive orders, unsign some treaties and dismantle Agenda 21. Also, let’s be careful when we give up constitutional rights for anyone – citizen or not. It is clear – your rights might be taken next.
Dangerous? It’s dangerous to give up liberty for security. You will get neither. Let’s go to war only when Congress declared it. Not when the UN says so. Not when NATO says so. I am accused of wanting to apologize for the US – let’s do an apology that is necessary: I apologize to Serbia for the unprovoked attack on its land in 1999 by our forces and the loss of life. Anyone up here want to join me in that apology?
Any other ideas? I would mention the deficit plan and challenge the others to match it.
You are concerned about the killing of bin Laden? Yea, poor guy. Poor poor guy. May he burn in hell.
Maybe you could discuss what bin Laden thought about the US dollar?
“Noam Chomsky was correct when he compared the U.S. policies to those of the Mafia,” Al Jazeera quoted Mr. bin Laden as saying. “They are the true terrorists, and therefore we should refrain from dealing in the U.S. dollar and should try to get rid of this currency as early as possible.”
Bank and government officials in China, Russia and elsewhere have previously floated the idea of abandoning the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, replacing it with a basket of other currencies and commodities like gold.
But Mr. bin Laden’s aim in turning away from the dollar appears to be to inflict harm on the American economy.
“I am certain that such actions will have grave repercussions and huge impact,” he was quoted as saying.
I do not think I mentioned bin Laden in this column. So we were indeed attacked because we are rich and free? I think the dollar issue is a tactic not a rationale for attack.
I suppose I did – but concerns about how bin Laden was killed/captured is valid and RP makes those concerns well. I personally am not as concerned about the killing of bin Laden as Paul is. But I am trying to help him out.
Well, I think that we should not have killed him. Rather, we should have brought him back to New York and invited the families of the 9/11 victims and presented them with commemorative baseball bats. And then turned bin Laden loose in the middle of these people. And let justice be done.