The primary opposition coming from many Identity Conservatives to Congressman Ron Paul's candidacy is his noninterventionist foreign policy. But the embedded video taken from clips of former President George W. Bush during the 2000 Presidential election, shows a Republican candidate for President who sounds a lot like Ron Paul today.
Sometimes Paul's stance is labeled as isolationism. Talker Sean Hannity for instance, says he supports Ron Paul on domestic and economic issues but does not support him on foreign policy. Hannity's views are echoed by other members of the Conservative and GOP Establishments. Hannity's counterpart on the airwaves from 3-6 PM in most markets is conservative avenger, Mark Levin. Levin has been even more hostile to Congressman Paul, calling him unpatriotic and un-American in a recent rant on his radio show.
I wonder what Levin would say about the apparently forgotten George W. Bush in this video?
911 changed the national conversation, obviously. Many who had supported a humble foreign policy (this writer included) decided that America needed to start kicking ass and taking no prisoners in response to what happened on that dreadful day and in the days following. The Neoconservative argument gained legitimacy because citizens who had otherwise been opposed to foreign intervention, started to believe the only solution to international terrorism was a pre-emptive American presence in places around the world that were unfriendly.
George W. Bush's rhetoric changed too. Sensing that America was fearful and wanted revenge, Bush adopted an aggressive posture that would become the hallmark of his Presidency and may have eventually lead to his undoing because it did not suit him well. The rest is history.
Today, Congressman Paul is merely reminding America where it used to be. Conservative Republicans, historically were the party of nonintervention and humility. Wilsonian Democrats and Progressive Republicans were the advocates for international dominance. Indeed, the Neoconservative philosophy has its roots in 20th Century Progressivism.
The War on Terror that essentially started on September 11, 2001, has lasted over ten years. The majority of Americans are war weary and the economy is suffering as a result of the estimated one trillion in war and related Homeland Security spending according to some estimates.
Congressman Paul wants the US to reverse course now and return to the humble foreign policy expressed by George W. Bush and many Conservatives beore him. Perhaps it is time.
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Kevin Kervick is the author of Discovering Possibility: A Common Sense Conservative Manifesto (For Classical LIberals Too).
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