The Wrath of Ron Paul

With the Bush administration preparing formal plans for a quick attack on Iran -- and, perhaps even more ominously, setting up the sort of faux "discussions" that conveniently break down just in time to confirm the president's "diplomacy-doesn't-work" line -- a number of current and potential presidential contenders have been positioning themselves as the anti-Iran War candidate.

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, the most consistently anti-war of the Democratic contenders, has been suitably aggressive in condemning the administration's machinations -- going so far as to suggest that if Bush moves on Iran without a declaration of war the Congress should consider taking steps to impeach the president.

Retired General Wesley Clark, a candidate for the 2OO4 Democratic nomination who may try again in 2OO8, has launched a www.stopiranwar.com website at which he urges visitors to: "Please join the Iraq War veterans at VoteVets.org and me and sign the petition to President Bush today. Military force against Iran is not the solution now, and if we adopt the right strategy, perhaps it need never be. Urge him to work with our allies and use every diplomatic, political, and economic option at our disposal to deal with Iran. War is not the answer."

But the most muscular criticism of the administration's saber rattling is coming from another possible candidate.

Consider this from a speech recently delivered on floor of the House of Representatives.

It's a bad idea.

Don't bomb Iran!

The speaker is Texas Congressman Ron Paul, the libertarian Republican who has just finished a swing through New Hampshire do determine whether he should enter the race for his party's nomination. Paul is not without his flaws. But this Constitution-wielding contender, who voted against authorizing Bush to invade and occupy Iraq and has steadily opposed that war since its launch four years ago, would certainly make the GOP debates worth watching -- and perhaps applauding.

Comments (13)

1. Let's see....

   Hillary has said keep all options on the table as far as Iran.

   Barack has said keep all options on the table as far as Iran.

   John Edwards said keep all options on the table as far as Iran.

   Ditto McCain, Giuliani, and Romney on the GOP side.

   But the guys talking sense, yeah, that would be KUCINICH as well as Ron Paul.....don't rate higher than single digits against those other guys and gal.

   Posted by Mask at 02/28/2007 @ 4:01pm

2. I've said it before, we need repubs to get out of Iraq, we need repubs to hold the out of control pres, either one of them, responsible.

   Posted by johannesrolf at 02/28/2007 @ 5:18pm

3. Bush ignores petitions. He is bent on waging yet another war America can't win, and there is nothing that can be done to stop him and his gargoyle (Cheney) short of impeachment.

   Posted by ARCHANGEL_M at 02/28/2007 @ 6:36pm

4. Mr. Nichols your paranoia is showing again. With less than 2 years remaining in office, I seriously doubt the Bush administration is going to wage another campaign. Kinda reminds me of last year when everyone was harping about the administration going to war with N. Korea and it didn't come to light.

   Posted by ACook at 02/28/2007 @ 7:45pm

5. I've said it before, we need repubs to get out of Iraq, we need repubs to hold the out of control pres, either one of them, responsible.

   Posted by JOHANNESROLF 02/28/2007 @ 5:18pm

   The number of Republicans opposing Bush is negligible. The number of Democrats more than willing to lay down for Bush is legion.

   Posted by fromredbird at 02/28/2007 @ 7:50pm

6. I've heard that Ron Paul is considering the Libertarian nomination in the likely event that the GOP doesn't nominate him. It would be good to have an antiwar candidate on the general election ballot.

   Posted by green2006 at 02/28/2007 @ 7:52pm

7. I would be interested in what else he(Ron) has to say as a libertarian...a one issue voter I am not, but I am interested in his other positions...may be I would vote for him...imagine a Green voter and me voting for the same guy..albeit for different reason...strange bedfellows indeed.

   Posted by john maasch at 02/28/2007 @ 8:07pm

8. and there is nothing that can be done to stop him and his gargoyle (Cheney) short of impeachment.

   Posted by ARCHANGEL_M 02/28/2007 @ 6:36pm

   Well, that's not going to happen...ref: Laura Flanders last article here.

   So...work on something else to do it and quit fantasizing.

   Posted by Mask at 02/28/2007 @ 8:22pm

9. The Wrath of Ru Paul?

   she always seemed so nice.

   Posted by johannesrolf at 03/01/2007 @ 09:48am

10. If you are interested in what else Ron Paul has to say go to www.ronpauleplore.com there is alot of interviews and articles with his thoughts on other subjects.

    Michael Nenzoski

    Posted by ninop1960 at 03/01/2007 @ 6:21pm

11. From what I've read about Paul over the years he's an interesting mix of things. He's very anti-war. He's steadfastly against the Drug War and believes in marijuana legalization. At the same time he preaches very limited government so he believes the IRS should be scaled back drastically and/or abolished outright. He's against things like the Dept. of Education and OSHA -- he would outright abolish them also.

    On issues of what goes on in the bedroom he simply stays out and doesn't think it's anyone's business.

    Essentially he is someone who doesn't approve of government involvement in most anything that the government is currently involved in.

    His main cause is a return to the gold standard so our government can't print money like crazy and keep expanding the welfare-warfare state at their whim.

    Posted by Nationals at 03/01/2007 @ 10:22pm

12. My former boss Ron Paul does not understand the threat we face from worldwide Islamo-Fascism. Ron was always a bit of a Social Conservative, Pro-Life and all. Not concerned about sexual liberty matters like legalized prostitution, tolerance of homosexuals and all. So, it's fitting that he doesn't see Radical Islam as a threat.

    For those of us Libertarians who don't want our country turned into a Western Europe where Muslims are trouncing on sexual liberties throughout the Continent, we will be backing Rudy Giuliani for President.

    Ron Paul is great on tax cuts, spending cuts, and economic issues. But his appeasement and quasi-surrender to the Islamo-Fascist views on foreign policy are deplorable.

    Giuliani will stand up to the rising tide of Islamo-Fascism sweeping Europe, Canada and now raising its ugly face here in the United States (Utah shooting two weeks ago killing 5 and wounding 5, Muslim Cabbies at the Minneapolis Airport refusing service to wine carriers, blind people and gays, Muslim cabbie in Nashville running over those two college kids shouting "Hitler was right.")

    I'm a Proud Libertarian for Rudy Giuliani.

    Eric Dondero, Fmr. Senior Aide US Congressman Ron Paul, 1997-2003

    Ron Paul, Libertarian for President Travel Aide, 1987/88

    Libertarians for Giuliani at Linked text

    Posted by ericdondero at 03/03/2007 @ 10:18am

13. The #1 message for this month is, if Brzezinski guessed right in saying:

    "The plausible scenario for a (U.S.) military collision with Iran would involve Iraqi failure to meet the benchmarks, followed by accusations of Iranian responsibility for the failure . . . then, some provocation in Iraq or a terrorist act in the U.S. that would be blamed on Iran would culminate in a defensive U.S. military action against Iran that plunges a lonely America into a spreading and deepening quagmire eventually ranging across Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan."

    that is, if another, maybe worse, 9/11 hits us before the Ides of March, we must shout loudly and incessantly that blaming Iran was unjustified, and that the only sensible thing to do would be to blame the same ones that carried out the first 9/11 [guess who!], and for the same reason: to scare the American people into the cul-de-sac of supporting another war.

    If on their way to nuke Iran, they nuke an American city, be ready to resist with ALL force what it's all done to generate: MARTIAL LAW & FEMA CAMPS.

    -------------------------

    Mr. Dondero: Ask Mr. Ghouliani this question, next time you see him:

    "Mr. Federal Prosecutor, based on your ample knowledge of the law, what is the penalty for destroying evidence at a crime scene (the scene of the greatest crime on US soil, no less), shipping it off to China to be melted down? (Pretty hard to check the length and cut angle on 30 and 60 foot lengths of column after they've been cast into the keel of a Chinese battleship).

    If the tottering Republic survives long enough to see the 2008 election, I'll be greatly relieved, and the current crop of Exec Branchers will probably be relieved of their personal effects by then too (in exchange for orange jumpsuits).

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 03/03/2007 @ 12:10pm