Ron Paul’s Persistence
Filed under: President 2008, Republicans, Iraq War, Ron Paul
Texas Rep. Ron Paul, anti-war voice of the Republicans, continues to blast his party for its militaristic stances.
The New York Times reported a testy exchange on Iraq between Paul and ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Wednesday's GOP debate.
"The American people didn't go in," Paul said. "A few people advising this administration, a small number of people called the neoconservatives hijacked our foreign policy."
"Congressman, we are one nation," Huckabee replied. "We can't be divided. We have to be one nation, under God. That means, if we make a mistake, we make it as a single country: the United States of America, not the divided states of America."
This isn't the first time Paul has drawn ire from his conservative colleagues. Pat Buchanan listed as "the decisive moment of the (Republicans' May) South Carolina debate" a confrontation between Paul and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.
"Hearing (Paul) recite the reasons for Arab and Islamic resentment of the United States, including 10 years of bombing and sanctions that brought death to thousands of Iraqis after the Gulf War," Buchanan wrote, "(Giuliani) broke format and exploded:
"'That's really an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of 9-11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I have ever heard that before, and I have heard some pretty absurd explanations for Sept. 11.
"'I would ask the congressman to withdraw that comment and tell us what he really meant by it.'"
CNN reported in October 2002 that Paul was one of six House Republicans to vote against President Bush's resolution on Iraq. Consistency hasn't distinguished most of the other GOP presidential candidates. Can Paul's persistence make an impact?
