Ron Paul is apparently coming on in Iowa, second in two Republican polls, a potential frontrunner. The media blackout may finally be ending. But the Wall Street Journal says Ron Paul’s Iowa race “faces hurdle”:
The problem: Mr. Paul’s anti-interventionist views on foreign policy. “‘That’s probably the hardest part,’ said Mr. Luethje [a volunteer for the Paul campaign], whose regular job is making eyeglasses. ‘A lot of Republicans are of this Christian mind-set that we need to defend Israel.'”
I finally caught up with the attack that mild Bob Schieffer of CBS launched on Ron Paul uncharacteristically on his Sunday morning political show last week, for violating the creed of the new establishment on terrorism and Iran. This is nuts.
Schieffer says angrily that Paul believes that 9/11 happened because of actions the United States took. And Schieffer tells Paul he’s wrong, that no report says that it is the case.
“That’s exactly what the 911 commission said…. our policies definitely had an influence,” Paul says. Then he states, beautifully, the case that they want to do us harm “because we’re free and prosperous” is a dangerous idea.
Schieffer scoffs at the idea that we should “be nicer to Iran’s leaders.”
Paul: “we have 12,000 diplomats. I’m suggesting we ought to use some of them…” The Cuban missile crisis was resolved diplomatically. “We didn’t say we’re going to attack [Soviet Union over Cuba]… the greatest danger for us now is to overreact… Iran doesn’t have a bomb, there’s no proof…”
Schieffer again contradicts Paul, says that no one in our gov’t is threatening military action. “May I correct you. The United States government is not going to attack Iran.”
Paul’s triumph: “But they say, Nothing is off the table.” That means military action.
Glenn Greenwald was on this a week ago, in typical steel-trap fashion:
In this 7-minute clip, Schieffer repeatedly mocks, scoffs at, and displays his obvious contempt for, two claims of Paul’s which virtually no prominent politician of either party would dare express: (1) American interference and aggression in the Muslim world fuels anti-American sentiment and was thus part of the motivation for the 9/11 attack; and (2) American hostility and aggression toward Iran (in the form of sanctions and covert attacks) are more likely to exacerbate problems and lead to war than lead to peaceful resolution, which only dialogue with the Iranians can bring about…
I think this is why the powers that be are now building up Gingrich, and at the same time trying to destroy Herman Cain’s campaign. They want to consolidate the religious right vote for one candidate (Gingrich) that they find reliable and that they hope can beat Paul in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
OT, Craig Murray is continuing to pursue the Werritty/Fox story. Here’s his latest: Gould-Werritty Plot Finally Mainstream.
You should see Greenwald’s latest Richard Cohen. Glennzilla is the MAN. I love that dude.
Ron Paul is the most important national political figure we have right now. There, I said it.
Don’t get me wrong, I think alot of what he says is bat shit insane, but one does get the sense from him that he actually BELIEVES in real enlightenment values – so much so that you can actually hear him say “The Enlightenment” – which in and of itself is pretty fucking radical, considering the medieval mindset of pretty much everyone else in the public sphere. Do I think he emphasizes “freedom” and liberty for commodities, capital and “property” more than actual people? Yes, I do. But to me, we can at least work with that, rather than fighting against forces that are for arbitrary and authoritarian control of EVERYTHING.
When it comes specifically to foreign policy, and Israel in particular, I can say for certain that the Ron Paul crowd ( as evidenced here) are not scared at all about the “anti-semitism” charge, and there is the real potential, if he gets coverage and his folks continue to get the message out, he could be a leader of sorts of the “american awakening” seafoid often hopes for. I mean, would you EVER hear another candidates campaign volunteer call out “christians” like that? I have to say, that is very refreshing to a whole lot of us recovering “christians”
Paul makes people think and talk, which is absolutely frightening to the establishment – The War and Israel Lobbies included ( to the extent that they are separate)
Yeah,the last American patriot has gone from unelectable to racist,gullible anti progressive(whatever that is)in the blink of CBS’s eye.
The wacko racist Zionist monsters that control US fear his election,when they really should see that his election will bring peace to their chosen nation by making them choose sanity instead of the power of overwhelming military might overriding reason.
One big battle for the 99% is that we (the 99%) live IN the environment — we breathe polluted air, drink the polluted water, live on the polluted land — and the 1% believe (with Paul, I suppose) that we have no right (No right at all, sir!) to limit industrialists and farmers (who are also industrialists nowadays) from using all these chemicals which have these SIDE-EFFECTS which enrich the industrialists and poison us and our progeny. SOMEONE SHOULD SPEAK THIS CLEARLY to Ron Paul. And they should be blowing REAL SMELLY CIGAR SMOKE in his face as they ask it.
Paul is going to win serious backing the day after the NYT has its first Op-ed by Ismail Haniyeh. Control tower to pigs . Takeoff !