Ron Paul Doesn't Get My Vote

Ron Paul is a perfect example of how libertarians have lots of good ideas and lots of bad ideas. In Paul's case, in my view, his bad ideas outweigh his good ones.

On the positive side, Paul believes in smaller government and big cuts in spending and taxes. I'm with him on those two points. However, as president, his power to make those changes is limited. Not so when it comes to foreign policy, and that's the rub. When it comes to foreign policy, this is Jimmy Carter on steroids. Not that the idea of bringing our troops home from the cauldren that is the Middle East/Afghanistan and Pakistan is necessarily a bad idea. The problem with Paul is that he is blind to the danger that faces us from international Islamic terrorism and rogue nations like Iran.

Paul thinks that we were attacked on 9-11 purely because we had troops in the Middle East (liberating Kuwait and protecting Saudi Arabia). He doesn't think we should be defending Israel in any way. In fact, Paul is apparently, like so many in our State Department, an Arab supporter, who takes the Arab and Palestinian view when it comes to Israel. When it comes to Iran, he doesn't see why they should not have the same right to hold nuclear weapons as we do. (The difference is that we are not ruled by fanatics who don't mind blowing up the world.)

Paul, a doctor, also believes we should not try to enforce laws against illegal drugs. It bothers him that minorities are in jails and prisons for drug offenses. I have news for Paul as an ex-DEA agent. So are a lot of whites who sold or trafficked in drugs. Drug dealing and drug use cut across racial boundaries. I agree that drug users should be treated, but drug traffickers are criminals who deserve to be in prison.

Now come these old news letters under Paul's name that contain racist material. Paul says he knew nothing about them since he didn't write them or approve them. But if it's the Ron Paul newsletter, clearly, he has some responsibility to know what's being written under his name. If I am the owner of the Washington Post, I may not be doing the writing or editing, but there must be some mechanism to ensure that I am informed if something clearly offensive is written. There must be some control to ensure that nothing like that gets published.

Now I find it troubling that Paul did so well in Iowa. He has a small but hard core base of support. They need to take a long look at what a Paul nomination would mean in terms of the general election. He is a candidate who would make Obama look like a reasonable chap in a two-way debate. The sooner he pitches his tent and goes back home, the better.