Ron Paul

November 21, 2007

Ron Paul's Campaign Staffers Foil Plan by Identity Thieves to Use Stolen Money to Donate to Paul's Campaign

Identity thieves allegedly used debit cards to make fraudulent donations to the presidential campaign of Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Campaign staffers spotted several hundred $5 charges from similar Internet addresses this month. Security officials for San Antonio-based Frost Bank noticed a similar pattern on check cards from an out-of-country location around the same time.

Fewer than 100 cards had unauthorized charges on them, and fewer than 500 cards were effected. Frost Bank refunded the money and canceled the affected cards.

Jesse Benton's a spokesman for the Lake Jackson Republican's campaign. He says the fraud was "unfortunate," but the campaign and Frost Bank "took rapid action."

The fraudulent donations, first reported by CBSnews.com, amounted to about $3,000 and were returned.

Bank officials said the identity thieves may have used the Paul campaign as a test to see whether the stolen debit card numbers were valid before attempting larger purchases.

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Associated Press | Wednesday, November 21, 2007

 

November 20, 2007

Ron Paul Isn't that Scary

As the hopeless but energetic presidential campaign of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) builds momentum in name recognition, fundraising and cross-ideology appeal, media conservatives are beginning to attack Paul in earnest. Republican consultant David Hill condemns the candidate's "increasingly leftish" positions. Syndicated columnist Mona Charen calls Paul "too cozy with kooks and conspiracy theorists." Film critic and talk radio host Michael Medved looks over Paul's supporters and finds "an imposing collection of neo-Nazis, white Supremacists, Holocaust deniers, 9/11 'truthers' and other paranoid and discredited conspiracists."

For the most part, these allegations strike me as overblown and unfair. But, for argument's sake, let's say they're not. Let's even say that Paul has the passionate support of the Legion of Doom, that his campaign lunchroom looks like the "Star Wars" cantina, and that many of his top advisors actually have hooves.

Well, I would still find him less scary than Mike Huckabee.

While many are marveling at Paul's striking success at breaking out of the tinfoil-hat ghetto, Huckabee's story is even more remarkable. The former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister is polling in second place in Iowa and could conceivably win there. He's still a long shot to take the nomination and a pipe dream to take the presidency, but Huckabee matters in a way that Paul still doesn't. One small indicator of Huckabee's relevance: His opponents in the presidential race are attacking him while the field is ignoring Paul like an eccentric who sits too close to you on the bus.

So what's so scary about Huckabee? Personally, nothing. By all accounts, he's a charming, decent, friendly, pious man.

What's troubling about The Man From Hope 2.0 is what he represents. Huckabee represents compassionate conservatism on steroids. A devout social conservative on issues such as abortion, school prayer, homosexuality and evolution, Huckabee is a populist on economics, a fad-follower on the environment and an all-around do-gooder who believes that the biblical obligation to do "good works" extends to using government -- and your tax dollars -- to bring us closer to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

For example, Huckabee has indicated he would support a nationwide federal ban on public smoking. Why? Because he's on a health kick, thinks smoking is bad and believes the government should do the right thing.

And therein lies the chief difference between Paul and Huckabee. One is a culturally conservative libertarian. The other is a right-wing progressive.

Whatever the faults of the man and his friends may or may not be, Paul's dogma generally renders them irrelevant. He is a true ideologue in that his personal preferences are secondary to his philosophical principles. When asked what his position is, he generally responds that his position can be deduced from the text of the Constitution. Of course, that's not as dispositive as he thinks it is. But you get the point.

As for Huckabee -- as with most politicians, alas -- his personal preferences matter enormously because ultimately they're the only thing that can be relied on to constrain him.

In this respect, Huckabee's philosophy is conventionally liberal, or progressive. What he wants to do with government certainly differs in important respects from what Hillary Clinton would do, but the limits he would place on governmental do-goodery are primarily tactical or practical, not philosophical or constitutional. This isn't to say he -- or Hillary -- is a would-be tyrant, but simply to note that the progressive notion of the state as a loving, caring parent is becoming a bipartisan affair.

Indeed, Huckabee represents the latest attempt to make conservatism more popular by jettisoning the unpopular bits. Contrary to the conventional belief that Republicans need to drop their opposition to abortion, gay marriage and the like in order to be popular, Huckabee understands that the unpopular stuff is the economic libertarianism: free trade and smaller government. That's why we're seeing a rise in economic populism on the right coupled with a culturally conservative populism. Huckabee is the bastard child of Lou Dobbs and Pat Robertson.

Historically, the conservative movement benefited from the tension between libertarianism and cultural traditionalism. This tension -- and the effort to reconcile it under the name "fusionism" -- has been mischaracterized as a battle between right-wing factions when it is a conflict that runs through the heart of individual conservatives. We all have little Mike Huckabees and Ron Pauls sitting on our shoulders. Neither is always right, but both should be listened to.

I would not vote for Paul mostly because I think his foreign policy would be disastrous (and because he'd lose in a rout not seen since Bambi versus Godzilla). But there's something weird going on when Paul, the small-government constitutionalist, is considered the extremist in the Republican Party while Huckabee, the statist, is the lovable underdog. It's even weirder because it's probably true: Huckabee is much closer to the mainstream. And that's what scares me about Huckabee and the mainstream alike.

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Jonah Goldberg - Los Angeles Times | Tuesday, November 20, 2007

 

November 19, 2007

Paul: The True Cost of Taxing and Spending

Congressman Charlie Rangel recently unveiled a tax plan that Republicans estimate would raise taxes by $3.5 trillion over 10 years. Democrats questioned the math.

Now, the Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee have released a report on the total costs of the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan , including "hidden costs" such as interest on the money we're borrowing, and long term healthcare for vets. The bill comes to $3.5 trillion. Republicans are, of course, questioning the math on this item.

One thing taxpayers know is taxing and spending is expensive, and government cost estimates tend to be on the conservative side relative to the actual bills. However extracted and spent $3.5 trillion is an unimaginable extra burden on our economy.

If $3.5 trillion is the true cost of these military adventures, $11,500 is the amount every man, woman and child in this country pays. So, a family of four would pay $46,000 just for this war. This is an especially painful number to me, as the median household income of my constituency in Texas is just $43,000 a year. In other words, war has cost more than an entire year's worth of income from each middle class Texas family.

What about the impact of these costs on education, the very thing that so often helps to increase earnings? $46,000 would cover 90% of the tuition costs to attend a four year public university in Texas for both children in that family of four. Obviously, it would far outpace the cost of a community college degree, so vital to so many in the workforce.

But, instead of sending kids to college, too often we're sending them to Iraq , where the best news in a long time is they aren't killing our men and women as fast as they were last month.

The Heritage Foundation estimates a $3.5 trillion tax increase would be responsible for 2,200 lost jobs in my district alone, over 70,000 lost jobs across Texas . That's 70,000 Texans in unemployment lines, without health insurance for their families. Some Democrats may not want to spend $3.5 trillion on Iraq , but they do want to raise it in new taxes. And, by digging our economy into a deeper hole, they would create a lot more demand for the social programs they propose.

Tax and spend policies create needs they can never satisfy. A government check does not make up for a lost job. Americans do not want more of this. Americans believe in hard work and self-sufficiency, not standing in line for government hand-outs. We are supposed to be living in a land of opportunity, but opportunities fade fast if more tax and spend policies are enacted. The more Congress meddles in the economy, the bigger the problems get.

Congress should not increase taxes by $3.5 trillion and the administration needs to end the occupation of Iraq with its costs of $3.5 trillion to taxpayers. Let the hardworking American taxpayers keep their money. Families need that $46,000 far more than government does.

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Congressman Ron Paul | Monday, November 19, 2007

 

November 18, 2007

The Media is Skeptical But Paul's Supporters Believe He Could Have a Real Shot at the Presidency

Pundits and rivals have dismissed Rep. Ron Paul's presidential campaign as a joke, saying he's a fringe candidate with no shot of getting elected.

Dr. Paul indeed may not win the White House, but the plain-spoken libertarian is now laughing – all the way to the bank.

Riding the strength of his zealous supporters, his campaign pulled in more than $4.2 million in a Web-based fundraiser Nov. 5, breaking the single-day GOP record.

That record may not stand for long. Dr. Paul's backers plan a fundraising blitz Dec. 16 with a goal of $10 million – $100 donations from 100,000 people – in commemoration of the Boston Tea Party, which helped spark the American Revolution.

Dr. Paul wants a similar seismic change in today's society.

"The message of freedom is powerful," said Jesse Benton, spokesman for Dr. Paul's campaign. "It's unifying. People are getting our message at a time when the government is moving away from personal freedoms."

Flush with cash, Dr. Paul now aims to make inroads in early-voting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

The Lake Jackson congressman is striking a chord with some voters with his call for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and abolishing the CIA and Federal Reserve.

He also wants toreturn to the gold standard, which the country abandoned in 1930.

Dr. Paul, 72, a gynecologist, is described as modest, even soft-spoken.

"He's a guy who has a personal style and some policy messages that touch a nerve," said Bruce Buchanan, political-science professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "Part of it has to do with policy, most notably the war and the size of government. But it also has to do with truth. Here's a guy who speaks his mind. He's the anti-politician."

The money raised by the anti-politician, mostly on the Internet, has allowed him to bolster his modest campaign.

Mr. Benton said the national staff has expanded from 12 to 75. There are now 67,000 volunteers who have "meet ups" throughout the country. There are 1,100 Ron Paul chapters in 950 cities and 240 student chapters.

Though far behind front-runners Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani in New Hampshire, polls show him inching ahead of former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. He still trails badly in Iowa but has managed to muster 4 percent in some polls, which puts him with Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Political analysts say Dr. Paul could serve as a spoiler by siphoning independent support from Mr. McCain, who needs a strong showing in New Hampshire.

"I still don't think Ron Paul seriously expects to be president," Mr. Buchanan said. "He's a classic message politician who would rather be right than president."

Dr. Paul, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee in 1988, has had opportunities to make an impact.

Over the Labor Day weekend, his army of volunteers dominated the activities surrounding the first Texas Presidential Straw Poll. Supporters dressed in Colonial garb drove a trailer with a replica of the Liberty Bell and danced at a concert featuring Dallas-born blues rocker Jimmie Vaughan.

But when the votes were counted, Dr. Paul finished third in his home state, behind fellow long-shot candidate Duncan Hunter and Mr. Thompson.

But the disappointment hasn't stopped his fundraising momentum.

His Web site frequently updates its lists of donors and features the latest giver on its home page.

Then there are the testimonials.

Austin Wilkes, a 19-year-old student from the University of Alabama, said Dr. Paul is the first candidate his generation of idealists could rally around.

"As an Alabamian, I don't want to tell someone from California how to live their life, and someone from California shouldn't be able to control my actions," he said in a posting. "Centralized government leads to corruption and loss of liberty."

His supporters are passionate and say he'll win.

"We think he has a realistic chance," Mr. Benton said. "Dr. Paul wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think he could win."

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The Dallas Morning News | Sunday, November 18, 2007

 

November 17, 2007

Paul's Supporters Planning a One-day $10 million Record Campaign Haul on Dec. 16

Pundits and rivals have dismissed Rep. Ron Paul's presidential campaign as a joke, saying he's a fringe candidate with no shot of getting elected.

Dr. Paul indeed may not win the White House, but the plain-spoken libertarian is now laughing – all the way to the bank.

Riding the strength of his zealous supporters, his campaign pulled in more than $4.2 million in a Web-based fundraiser Nov. 5, breaking the single-day GOP record.

That record may not stand for long. Dr. Paul's backers plan a fundraising blitz Dec. 16 with a goal of $10 million – $100 donations from 100,000 people – in commemoration of the Boston Tea Party, which helped spark the American Revolution.

Dr. Paul wants a similar seismic change in today's society.

"The message of freedom is powerful," said Jesse Benton, spokesman for Dr. Paul's campaign. "It's unifying. People are getting our message at a time when the government is moving away from personal freedoms."

Flush with cash, Dr. Paul now aims to make inroads in early-voting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

The Lake Jackson congressman is striking a chord with some voters with his call for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and abolishing the CIA and Federal Reserve.

He also wants toreturn to the gold standard, which the country abandoned in 1930.

Dr. Paul, 72, a gynecologist, is described as modest, even soft-spoken.

"He's a guy who has a personal style and some policy messages that touch a nerve," said Bruce Buchanan, political-science professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "Part of it has to do with policy, most notably the war and the size of government. But it also has to do with truth. Here's a guy who speaks his mind. He's the anti-politician."

The money raised by the anti-politician, mostly on the Internet, has allowed him to bolster his modest campaign.

Mr. Benton said the national staff has expanded from 12 to 75. There are now 67,000 volunteers who have "meet ups" throughout the country. There are 1,100 Ron Paul chapters in 950 cities and 240 student chapters.

Though far behind front-runners Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani in New Hampshire, polls show him inching ahead of former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. He still trails badly in Iowa but has managed to muster 4 percent in some polls, which puts him with Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Political analysts say Dr. Paul could serve as a spoiler by siphoning independent support from Mr. McCain, who needs a strong showing in New Hampshire.

"I still don't think Ron Paul seriously expects to be president," Mr. Buchanan said. "He's a classic message politician who would rather be right than president."

Dr. Paul, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee in 1988, has had opportunities to make an impact.

Over the Labor Day weekend, his army of volunteers dominated the activities surrounding the first Texas Presidential Straw Poll. Supporters dressed in Colonial garb drove a trailer with a replica of the Liberty Bell and danced at a concert featuring Dallas-born blues rocker Jimmie Vaughan.

But when the votes were counted, Dr. Paul finished third in his home state, behind fellow long-shot candidate Duncan Hunter and Mr. Thompson.

But the disappointment hasn't stopped his fundraising momentum.

His Web site frequently updates its lists of donors and features the latest giver on its home page.

Then there are the testimonials.

Austin Wilkes, a 19-year-old student from the University of Alabama, said Dr. Paul is the first candidate his generation of idealists could rally around.

"As an Alabamian, I don't want to tell someone from California how to live their life, and someone from California shouldn't be able to control my actions," he said in a posting. "Centralized government leads to corruption and loss of liberty."

His supporters are passionate and say he'll win.

"We think he has a realistic chance," Mr. Benton said. "Dr. Paul wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think he could win."

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Dallas Morning News | Saturday, November 17, 2007

 

November 16, 2007

Paul's campaign say it did not authorize production of the Ron Paul dollars captured in FBI raid

Federal agents raided the headquarters of a group that produces illegal currency and puts it in circulation, seizing gold, silver and two tons of copper coins featuring Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Agents also took records, computers and froze the bank accounts at the "Liberty Dollar" headquarters during the Thursday raid, Bernard von NotHaus, founder of the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve Act & Internal Revenue Code, said in a posting on the group's Web site.

The organization, which is critical of the Federal Reserve, has repeatedly clashed with the federal government, which contends that the gold, silver and copper coins it produces are illegal. NORFED claims its Liberty Dollars are inflation free and can restore stability to financial markets by allowing commerce based on a currency that does not fluctuate in value like the U.S. dollar.

"They're running scared right now and they had to do something," von NotHaus told The Associated Press Friday. "I'm volunteering to meet the agents and get arrested so we can thrash this out in court."

Wendy Osborne, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Indianapolis office, declined to comment and referred all questions to the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of North Carolina. Suellen Pierce, a spokeswoman for that office, also declined to comment.

The raid comes eight months after von NotHaus filed a lawsuit in federal court in Evansville seeking a permanent injunction to stop the federal government from labeling the Liberty Dollar an illegal currency.

The U.S. Mint issued a warning this year that the Liberty Dollar violated the Constitution and warned consumers against using them unsuspectingly.

Paul's campaign said it had not authorized production of the Ron Paul dollars.

"We were aware they existed, but we didn't have any affiliation with them," said Jesse Benton, a spokesman for Ron Paul's campaign. "He didn't ask our permission to make them."

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Associated Press | Friday, November 16, 2007

 

November 15, 2007

AP: "Those who dismissed Rep. Ron Paul as a joke in the Republican presidential primary campaign aren't laughing so hard these days"

Those who dismissed Rep. Ron Paul as a joke in the Republican presidential primary campaign aren't laughing so hard these days.

The Texas libertarian's rise in the polls and in fundraising proves that a small but passionate number of Americans can be drawn to an advocate of unorthodox proposals such as returning to the gold standard and abolishing the income tax, CIA and Federal Reserve.

Paul, 72, recently set a one-day, online GOP presidential fundraising record, and pulled slightly ahead of Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee in a New Hampshire poll, where he had 8 percent of the Republicans' support. In Iowa, he tied John McCain for fifth place, with 4 percent each.

Paul remains a very long shot for the nomination. But as the only Republican candidate backing a prompt troop withdrawal from Iraq - and an airing of possible impeachment charges against Vice President Dick Cheney - he appeals to a mix of liberals and conservatives who feel alienated and deeply distrustful of the government.

Where the extreme left and the extreme right meet, you'll find Ron Paul," said Merle Black, an Emory University political scientist and co-author of the book "Divided America."

"He strikes a chord with some segments of the population," especially with his quixotic, uncompromising style, Black said. "But there's a pretty low ceiling in terms of his actual vote."

Paul, who earned a medical degree from Duke University and embraces the nickname "Dr. No," often casts the only House vote against proposals he sees as too meddlesome or unworthy of taxpayers' money.

In recent months he was the only House member to oppose an expression of support for Northern Ireland's new power-sharing government, a condemnation of "the persecution of labor rights advocates in Iran" and a statement citing the importance of "providing a voice" for relatives of Americans who have vanished.

He was one of two Republicans to vote against funding the Defense Department in 2008, and against urging the release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Paul is Congress' most prominent advocate of returning to the gold standard, which the country abandoned in the 1930s. In its purest form it would mean that all paper currency in circulation could be redeemed for gold.

Supporters say the gold standard would curb inflation and boost confidence in the economy. But others say it would trigger severe recessions because the Federal Reserve could no longer manage the money supply in times of economic weakness.

For that matter, Paul would eliminate the Fed altogether as an impediment to free markets.

Paul breezily talks of eliminating the personal income tax, saying it provides about 40 percent of federal revenues, which spending cuts could absorb. The government's funding level would approximate that of 2000, he says, although government statistics put the figure closer to 1995.

In a phone interview Wednesday, Paul said he is inching up in the polls "because more people have heard the message."

He said he was stunned when supporters raised $4.2 million for him on Nov. 5, mostly through the Internet. It broke Mitt Romney's one-day fundraising record, $3.1 million, for Republican presidential candidates.

"Something is going on," Paul said. "It's all spontaneous," he said, and reflects a hunger for smaller government, greater adherence to the Constitution and "a pro-American foreign policy."

Paul said the United States should leave the United Nations. "I don't like giving up our national sovereignty," he said.

The government should gather intelligence, he said, but dismantle the CIA, which he accused of blunders and abuses of power.

Democratic-drafted charges that could lead to a House impeachment vote against Cheney, Paul said, deserve careful deliberations by congressional committees.

Presidential debate moderators typically pay scant attention to Paul and two other House members seen as fringe candidates. But he has triggered some crackling exchanges on the Iraq war, unusual for primary campaign debates in which most candidates hold similar views.

At a mid-May debate in South Carolina, Paul infuriated Rudy Giuliani and others by saying U.S. troops' presence in Saudi Arabia contributed to al-Qaida's decision to attack the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

"If we think that we can do what we want around the world and not incite hatred, then we have a problem," Paul said. "They don't come here to attack us because we're rich and we're free. They come and they attack us because we're over there."

Many Republicans condemned the remarks. But Paul's supporters rhapsodize about his candor and integrity on Web sites and at "meet ups."

"We didn't really believe we could find an honest politician," said Cecelia Poole of Elkton, Md., describing how she and her husband intensely researched Paul's record. First drawn to Paul's hardline stance against illegal immigration, Poole said she found herself agreeing with him on monetary policy, the war and other issues.

"He would turn this country around in the way that it needs to go," said Poole, a semiretired mortgage broker. She and her husband now travel to several states, she said, "promoting him everywhere we go."

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AP | Thursday, November 15, 2007

 

November 14, 2007

GOP Hit Piece on Paul: Republican Pollster Claims in the The Hill Newspaper that 'Paul's electorate doesn't appreciate the increasingly leftish libertarian bent of Paul's voting record' and will kick him out of Congress

While Texan Ron Paul's stock is soaring nationally, there is trouble on the home front. In September, Paul finished third in a straw poll of 1,300 Texas Republican activists who had been delegates to recent Republican conventions.

The congressman corralled just 17 percent of the votes cast, trailing California's Duncan Hunter with 41 percent.

This outcome says Texas Republicans aren't terribly concerned about viability. Otherwise, one of the national front-runners like Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney would have beaten these long-shots. But if they were willing to "waste" their votes on Hunter, why didn't most back a fellow Texan? The truth is that Ron Paul, the angry prophet, has little honor in his own land. He's about to lose his congressional seat.

Paul, a long-time incumbent, was first elected to Congress in 1976. After a detour to run against Phil Gramm for the Senate in 1984 and for president as a libertarian in 1988, the former physician took over the district 14 seat in 1997.

It's assumed he'll seek reelection in the Republican primary next March, at the same time he's still running for president. It's entirely possible that Paul will be wreaking havoc in early-primary states across the country just as his base in Texas implodes. What kind of impact would that have on his presidential candidacy? It would be like a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station hearing that his home back in Texas burned down and firefighters discovered a meth lab in the smoldering embers. The trip home would, at once, be both devastating and embarrassing. Because NASA is based in Paul's district, the metaphor may fit.

Angst over Paul has been building for years. In 2004, disgruntled Republicans asked me to find encouragement for challengers. We polled his suburban Houston district and found that voters resist his contrarian and stark libertarian perspective that even sells out local interests. When told that "Ron Paul consistently opposes taxpayer funding for NASA and wants to eliminate the agency," 61 percent of Republican primary voters said this information would make them less likely to vote for Paul's reelection. Similarly, a 54 percent majority said they'd be less likely to vote for Paul when told he "was one of only four Republicans in Congress to vote against President Bush's plan to encourage faith-based charities." The list of negatives was long.

To be fair, the 2004 polling also found that his voters endorsed some of the quirky congressman's actions, particularly his refusal to take a congressional pension and his vote to allow airline pilots to carry guns after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. But there was significantly more bad news than good in that poll for Rep. Paul. But detractors were unsuccessful is recruiting a suitable opponent.

Zoom ahead to this election cycle, almost four years later. Recent polling by another Texas Republican pollster confirms that Paul's electorate doesn't appreciate the increasingly leftish libertarian bent of Paul's voting record. In the eyes of voters, Paul is now also wrong to oppose the Patriot Act, off base on energy policy that affects Texas enormously, and to be faulted for knee-jerk opposition to the fight against terror in the Middle East.

The difference this time is that Paul's critics have a bona fide challenger lined up: Chris Peden, a mainline social conservative who has distinguished himself opposing the tax hijinks of local elected officials. If Paul files to run for both Congress and the presidency by the Jan. 2 deadline, he'll likely lose to Peden on March 4. That'll be OK, though. Dr. Paul can just move to New Hampshire where the libertarian Free State Project might try and elect him their first governor, leveraging the boost in name ID and image that his presidential bid will have wrought. Good riddance.

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The Hill | Wednesday, November 14, 2007

 

November 13, 2007

Ron Paul Rockets to 8% and 4th Place in New Hampshire in CBS/New York Times Poll

Democrats and Republicans are both headed toward heated showdowns in Iowa, where, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll, Hillary Clinton holds a statistically insignificant lead over John Edwards and Barack Obama, and GOP hopeful Mitt Romney finds his long-held position as the state's front-runner challenged by a surging Mike Huckabee. The situation in Iowa, where nominating caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 3, is in stark contrast to New Hampshire, where Clinton and Romney continue to hold large leads among those likely to vote in the state's first-in-the-nation primary, which could come only days after Iowa's contests.

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CBS News | Tuesday, November 13, 2007

 

Ron Paul: US Should Disentangle Itself From Pakistan

In the name of clamping down on "terrorist uprisings" in Pakistan , General Musharraf has declared a state of emergency and imposed martial law. The true motivations behind this action however, are astonishingly transparent, as the reports come in that mainly lawyers and opposition party members are being arrested and harassed. Supreme Court justices are held in house arrest after indicating some reluctance to certify the legitimacy of Musharraf's recent re-election.

Meanwhile, terrorist threats on US interests may be more likely to originate from Pakistan , a country to which we have sent $10 billion.

Now we are placed in the difficult position of either continuing to support a military dictator who has taken some blatantly un-Democratic courses of action, or withdrawing support and angering this nuclear-capable country. The administration is carefully negotiating this tight-rope by "reviewing Pakistan 's foreign aid package" and asking Musharraf to relinquish his military title and schedule elections.

By the time he complies with the requests of the White House sufficiently to continue to receive his "allowance," courtesy of the American taxpayer, his mission will be accomplished. A more friendly Supreme Court will be installed and enough of the opposition party will be jailed or detained to assure an outcome of the elections that will meet with his approval. All the while, our administration lauds Musharraf as a trusted friend and ally.

So much for a War on Terror. So much for making the world safe for democracy.

Free trade means no sanctions against Iran , or Cuba or anyone else for that matter. Entangling alliances with no one means no foreign aid to Pakistan , or Egypt , or Israel , or anyone else for that matter. If an American citizen determines a foreign country or cause is worthy of their money, let them send it, and encourage their neighbors to send money too, but our government has no authority to use hard-earned American taxpayer dollars to mire us in these nightmarishly complicated, no-win entangling alliances.

When we look at global situations today, the words of our founding fathers are becoming more relevant daily. We need to understand that a simple, humble foreign policy makes us less vulnerable and less targeted on the world stage. Pakistan should not be getting an "allowance" from us and we should not be propping up military dictators that oppress people. We should mind our own business and stop the oppressive taxation of Americans that makes this meddling possible.

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Congressman Ron Paul | Tuesday, November 13, 2007