Ron Paul and the Rest of the Republicans in Tonight's Debate

Just what the flip is up with the mainstream of the Republican party? Listening to the the media and establishment "frontrunner" Rudy Giuliani, and his two sidekicks in the so-called "Big Three" scares me. Especially with Giuliani and McCain, these guys take warmongering to a new level. If left up to them, the war in Iraq would have a blank check for an indefinite time period. Their supporters love them because they are such hawks, but it is on these points that these two seem most oblivious to reality. Just how many years, how many deaths, and how many hundreds of billions of dollars need to be spent before they retreat from their gospel of nation building and spreading global democracy? There appears to be no sign that Americans are "safer" today than we were four years ago, and it seems we are even less so, especially overseas. Terrorist recruitment is not suffering for a lack of converts. Yet King Rudy & Co. see this as a validation of their failed policies. Basically what they want is perpetual war for perpetual peace. And it's a good way to bankrupt and demoralize the country.

The Republican base loves this tough talking rhetoric. They apparently love failed policies as well. Especially on Iraq, they apparently don't grasp empirical evidence that trying to remake the country in our image just isn't going to work. McCain, however, just wants to blame it on Bush's "flawed policy and management," and wants to replace it with his own policy and management which I'm almost certain will be just as bad or worse. Here's the kicker, 65% of the country basically agrees with this above assessment. Republican primary voters do not. They will hold onto their obtuse and irrational beliefs regarding militarism even though the vast majority of the country is rejecting their foreign policy.

Funny the transformation of Republicans in the past 7 years. Back then, I could write columns like this and conservatives cheered (though note that I have toned down the meanness over the years). Today, if I apply those same foreign policy standards, I am an American-hating loon. I had thought in those days that Republicans were turning over a new leaf, when in reality they were just trying to stick it to Bill Clinton. Of course, plenty of leftists flip-flopped as well but such is the nature of politics.

One person who has stayed very consistent is Ron Paul. I always like Dr. Paul, but I didn't think tonight was his best night. For one, he had less than half the time to speak compared to the "Big Three" and some of his answers tonight--on immigration for instance-- weren't particularly impressive. One of Dr. Paul's problems is that he's too nice. I would like to see him be more aggressive in these debates in contrasting himself with other individual candidates instead of just running against the pack in general. I'm not saying he should be harsh, defamatory, unfair, or engage in unnecessary name-calling. But he has plenty of room to contrast his views with theirs individually. I was hoping he'd strike back at Giuliani attacks. Basically, Paul got so much attention last time because of his scuffle with Rudy. He needs to do something in these debates to stir the waters. Just stating anti-war positions is not going to do it anymore. If he doesn't do anything to stir the waters a bit, he'll get as much coverage and attention as Tommy Thompson.

This is not all Paul's fault. Even though he's not part of the "Big Three" he's been the most controversial of the "second and third tier candidates." With Paul, we actually could have a debate between he and the other candidates. Right now, these 10 man contests are more of a beauty contest, a test who can get in more cutsey one-liners and who can pander to militarists the most. While there is more uniformity amongst the current crop of Democratic candidates, their debate on Sunday at least had elements of a "debate" (contrast), even though the contrasts were mostly fabricated by the candidates. Today's Republican debate, on the other hand, was fairly boring. But overall, this campaign has been great for Ron Paul and has given him more visibility than ever. I just hope he can continue to be a part of the discussion and make more waves in the future. If the GOP doesn't get off of its World Policeman kick eventually, not only will the party pay, but so will the nation. I sincerely fear a Giuliani or McCain presidency.