Hey so do any of you guys follow like politics and stuff? Particularly in the US? It's pretty early yet, but the presidential race for 2008 is already heating up. There have been a few debates so far, and right now the big thing is what Ron "Doctor Congressman" Paul said at the recent Republican debates and what Rudy "Did You Guys Know I Was There At 9/11" Giuliani said in response.
***WARNING: BORING POLITICS STUFF AHEAD***
First off, I just want to say that I hope nobody feels like I am pushing my political opinions on you! I respect all opinions, even the stupid ones. This is just the stuff I've been thinking about a lot lately, and I thought maybe some people might be interested.
Now, if you don't know, Ron Paul is a congressman from Texas, an OB/GYN, and a strict constitutionalist with heavy Libertarian leanings. He is not generally considered a front-runner in the race, at least not yet. Rudy Giuliani, on the other hand, was the mayor of New York when 9/11 happened and is one of the best-funded and leading Republican candidates. Interesting to note is that Giuliani made a lot of his money consulting about terrorism post 9/11 and is running a campaign pretty solely focused on the fact that he was a strong leader in the face of 9/11. So you'd think he'd have a pretty good handle on the whole 9/11 thing.
Apparently not. What Ron Paul said that's getting so much attention is that at its root, 9/11 was caused by US foreign policy going back decades -- the bombing and sanctioning of Iraq, the occupation of Saudi Arabia, our role in the rise of the Shah in Iran, etc. (Dr. Paul is a non-interventionist.) Giuliani jumped on him when he said that, claiming to never have heard of such an absurd theory and twisting Paul's words to make it sound like he's saying Americans invited or deserved to be attacked on 9/11.
Thing is, what Paul said was completely true. He's backed up by the CIA, the 9/11 Comission, and basically every expert on the subject. Osama Bin Laden said as much himself when he issued his fatwa about why he hates America. This phenomenon is called "blowback" and is basically undisputed by people who know about things. So how could Giuliani never have heard of it, considering his purported credentials?
Since then, Ron Paul has been all over the news and even talked about on The dang View.
I like this guy. I'm a moderate, and I'm pretty surprised to be considering voting for a Republican from Texas in 2008. But the dude is so principled and he has, as far as I can tell, the most integrity of any politician alive. He's smart and honest and dang I think he might make a good president.
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