While most people in this country yesterday mourned the loss of thousands of their fellow citizens in the worst terrorist attack on American soil, Paul regurgitated his typical bilge of how American is at fault.
We're supposed to believe that the perpetrators of 9/11 hated us for our freedom and goodness. In fact, that crime was blowback for decades of US intervention in the Middle East. And the last thing we needed was the government's response: more wars, a stepped-up police and surveillance state, and drones.
So is Dr. Paul suggesting that had we just taken our lumps on 9/11/01 and then not responded to said attacks that everything would've been hunky dory, clean slate and all that? Seriously, I have never been given a coherent response to the inquiry of what should have been America's next move after the 9/11 attacks.
Look, I have no doubt that Paul passionately believes everything he says about America's foreign policy. And while he may have a legitimate point regarding certain areas, he loses me when he chooses to demagogue the issue on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Again, many choose to take that day to mourn and also remember how they felt on that awful day in 2001. Paul has 364 other days in which he can hammer this issue.
As a conservative Republican, I'm often told how my party will find it difficult to win meaningful elections if we don't occasionally nominate candidates who espouse some of the principles held dear by small "l" libertarians. Personally I have zero issue with that given that I've found myself to be more libertarian on a good number of issues. But when we're talking about the GOP being a "big tent", I'll say this: There is absolutely no room for 9/11 "trutherism" or antisemitism in this party. Just check out some of the sheer lunacy on display in the comment section of Paul's Facebook page, which is where I pulled the quote attributed to him.
In closing, I believe David "Iowahawk" Burge said it best when commenting on the prospects of Ron Paul's son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, one day running for President:
If Rand Paul runs for president, he should promise to keep his dad locked in the WH basement Hannibal Lecter-style.
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) September 11, 2013
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