Kagan, a jew, doesn't put much trust into the islamaphobic, xian, neocon, Rand Paul. Paul does seem to be slipping into the radical religious right rapidly. Oh well, just another DC politician bought and paid for.
On Feb 8, 11:30 am, Bruce Majors <[email protected]> wrote: > http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-kagan-rand-pauls-conven... > > > > > > > > On Friday, February 8, 2013, plainolamerican wrote: > > His new allies are the folks he recently traveled with to Israel, a > > gaggle of born-again fundamentalists active in the American Family > > Association: the Mississippi-based AFA is one of the more extreme > > Christian Right groups, whose spokesmen have said "the jihadists on > > 9/11 were the agents of God’s wrath in order to get our attention as a > > people,” and likened gays to Nazis. > > --- > > Rand will be political history soon enough. > > > On Feb 8, 7:50 am, MJ <[email protected] <javascript:;>> wrote: > > > Rand Paul’s War Against “Radical Islam”byJustin Raimondo, February 08, > > 2013 > > > Sen. Rand Paulwantsto be taken seriously -- as apresidential candidate, > > as heir to the energetic youth-orientedmovementfounded by his father, and > > as a foreign policy Deep Thinker. This last goal was supposed to have been > > approached, if not reached, by his much-anticipated foreign > > policyspeechdelivered at the Heritage Foundation the other day, which was > > supposed to give wonkish heft to his presidential ambitions. > > > Barely twenty minutes long, Sen. Paul’s peroration was two thirds Glenn > > Beck, and one third Robert Taft -- with a dash of George Kennan thrown in > > for good measure. Right off the bat, however, he made the point he wanted > > to make:I am not my father. To which one can only add:you can say that > > again. > > > "Foreign policy," averred Paul the Younger, "is uniquely an arena where > > we should base decisions on the landscape of the world as it is . . . not > > as we wish it to be. I see the world as it is. I am a realist, not a > > neoconservative, nor an isolationist." > > > What is telling about his opening shot is how deftly he utilizes the > > language of the War Party to define -- and restrict -- the parameters of > > the foreign policy debate. As paleoconservative foreign policy analyst > > Daniel Larison has tirelesslypointed out, there is no such thing as > > "isolationism" in American politics: not today, not yesterday, and not > > ever. No one believes the US should isolate itself from the world and turn > > this country -- connected to the rest of the globe by innumerable ties of > > trade, sympathy, and kinship -- into the Western equivalent of the Hermit > > Kingdom. "Isolationism" is anepithetrather than a description of anyone’s > > real views, meant to stifle discussion rather than advance it. > > > Rand Paul surely knows this. He’s heard his fatherdeny and deridethe > > "isolationist" label, no doubtthousands of times, and so his choice of > > words may seem distinctly odd. It is, instead, a calculated effort to > > banish the looming image of the elder Paul, the nation’s > > leadingnon-interventionist, from the room, and he does so right off the > > bat. Indeed, the entire speech -- and, come to think of it, his entire > > political career since being elected to the Senate -- could be summed up in > > five words:I am not my father! > > > This rhetorical patricide accomplished, he pressed onward -- and > > downward:"When candidate John McCain argued in 2007 that we should remain > > in Iraq for 100 years, I blanched and wondered what the unintended > > consequences of prolonged occupation would be. But McCain’s call for a > > hundred year occupation does capture some truth: that the West is in for a > > long, irregular confrontation not with terrorism, which is simply a tactic, > > but with Radical Islam."Writing about this trope inThe American > > Conservative, Larison confessed he was "puzzled" by the reference to > > "Radical Islam," and went on to point out in his best pedagogical manner > > why this glosses over the very real differences between the goals and > > methods of competing jihadist groups: it is a generalization so diffuse as > > to be devoid of meaning. The result, says Larison, is "confusing." Perhaps, > > but I have to ask: confusing for whom? > > > To those relatively few Americans who understand that there are, indeed, > > real differences between, say, the Sunnijihadistswho overthrew Qadaffi and > > took power in Libya and Lebanon’sHezbollah, this kind of rhetorical > > shorthand is indeed puzzling. If a young Rand Paul wrote a term paper > > around this theme he wouldsurelyget no more than a C-minus. However, his > > Aqua Buddha days are over, he’s a bigtime politician now, and he isn’t > > addressing an academic audience, or even one that is moderately > > well-informed: he’s talking to the folks back home in Kentucky, thesame > > oneswho rallied against the building of a mosque in their midst and worry > > that sharia law is coming to their town. He’stalking to Glenn Beck, on > > whose program he appeared shortly before his Heritage speech. In the midst > > of a discussion about John Kerry and Sen. Paul’s crusade to cast Egypt out > > of the circle of US allies, he ventured:"Well, and it hasn’t been a month > > ago that President Morsi was at a prayer meeting with a radical Sheik. > > > GLENN: I know. > > > RAND PAUL: Standing next to him saying death to Israel and anybody who > > supports Israel. And so it’s like … > > > GLENN: And wait, wait. Don’t forget, and the new capital of the > > Caliphate will be Jerusalem. > > > RAND PAUL: Yeah. > > > GLENN: That was at that same meeting. > > > RAND PAUL: Yeah. So the thing is what we’ve elected or what they’ve > > gotten in Egypt is a very radical government that I think can’t be counted > > on not to attack Israel and we shouldn’t be giving them weapons. > > Absolutely. Until there’s some kind of stability, and even then we don’t > > have the money to be doing it anyway."Aside from the wisdom ofselling > > F-16sto the Egyptians, this cozy little conversation sent a clear message > > to Beck’s dwindling fan club, the same one he used to broadcast tirelessly > > when he was at Fox News:The Caliphate is coming!The Caliphate is coming! > > That has been the rallying cry of Beck and his frothy-mouthed fans, and the > > theme song of theloony-tunesfar right in the post-9/11 era. The > > neo-Know-Nothing Party in America, instead of lynching Catholics, is out > > after them tharMooslims, who – as every one of Beck’s devoted fans knows – > > are out to take over the world. > > > Sunni, Shi’ite, Salafist -- it’s all the same to the Beckians, and, > > apparently, to theambitiousSenator. In the theology of the Republican > > ultra-right -- and it is a theology, or, at least, an ideology wrapped > > inside a sectarian religious canon – the rise of both Israel and Radical > > Islamprefigureevents foretold in the Bible. The End-times are upon us, the > > "born-again" Christian fundamentalists insist, and the Biblical clock > > isticking. The emergence of a Global Caliphate is a sign of the coming of > > the Anti-Christ, whose appearance augurs anattackon Israel: what’s coming > > next is the battle of Armageddon, the Rapture, and the Second Coming of > > Christ. > > > That’s why it is useless to apply the lens of international relations > > theory to the young Senator’s foreign policy expostulations. Better to look > > at it as a political calculation – the only way to understand Rand Paul’s > > variouszigs and zagsalongthe roadto 2016. > > > Rand Paul and his advisors have made a political decision to align > > themselves with thefurthest-right fringeof the GOP. We’re not talking here > > about the most radical of his father’s followers, who tend toward the > > secular – and hate him forendorsingMitt Romney at the GOP’s Tampa Bay > > convention, just as the elder Paul’s convention delegates were > > beingstolenout from under him. > > > His new allies are the folks he recently traveled with to Israel, a > > gaggle of born-again fundamentalists active in theAmerican Family > > Association: the Mississippi-based AFA is one of the more extreme Christian > > Right groups, whose spokesmenhave said"the jihadists on 9/11 were the > > agents of God’s wrath in order to get our attention as a people,” > > andlikenedgays to Nazis. > > > While in Israel, Sen. Paul gave hisblessingto the government’s > > aggressive "settlement" program, and attacked his own government for trying > > to interfere with this thinly disguised ethnic cleansing campaign. > > > One would think a supposed "libertarian" would be standing there right > > by the Palestinian olive groves as the IDFbulldozes them, along with > > privately owned Palestinian homes, defending the property rights of the > > dispossessed, and speaking out against this brazen exercise of eminent > > domain – as hewouldif it happened inthiscountry. > > > But no – because that doesn’t fit in with the theology of those who paid > > for the good Senator’s trip. They believe Israel must be unconditionally > > supported on the grounds that it’sGod’s Will. Israel has a special place in > > their hearts because the ingathering of the Jews to their historic homeland > > is seen as one more sign that we are truly living in the End Times – and > > war between theForces of Lightand theForces of Darknessis imminent. > > > Although he never gives religious import to this foreign policy views, > > this lunacy is reallythe basisof Sen. Paul’s "realism." It is the subtext > > ofhis campaignto defund Egypt, Pakistan, and indeed any country "where > > they’re burning our flag," while giving Israel a pass because they aren’t > > doing that (yet). As he and Beck sat there exchanging data points about the > > rising Anti-Christ – did you know the capital of the Caliphate is going to > > ... > > read more » -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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