Where Pat Buchanan Went Wrong

FrontPage Magazine ^ | October 1, 2004 | Ben Johnson

[NATIVEDAUGHTER]

No, the "PARTY" left us...It's become Big Government,anti-civil liberties,Big Spending,almost militaristic in it's foreign policy...It bears little resemblence to Robert Taft's or Barry Goldwater's GOP or even Reagan's....When "conservatives" won't even stand up to defend conservative principles,it's time to leave...and alot of conservatives have and will continue to do so...Now, if W loses,(which is beginning to look more likely),there maybe hope that the GOP can be captured for those on the Right who truly believe in limited government,liberty,social conservatism and a non-belligerent,non-interventionist foreign policy....If W wins, we're more likely to have this neo-liberalism that GOP diehards call "compassionate conservatism" stuck to us forever...That's not a pleasant thought.

[Theodore R.]

Technically, as a VA voter, Buchanan is not registered by party. VA is an "open primary" state, and one declares a party only by voting in a primary. So Pat is still a Republican if he voted in a Republican primary in either 2002 or 2004.

[Valin]

I think it's "Dubya" who's going to end up "hitting the road" thanks to his horrible miscalculation on Iraq...


I got a 20 doller bill that says you're wrong!

[sinkspur]

Buchananism is dead in the Republican Party. Isolationism is not a realistic alternative in the 21st century.

The Libertarian Party is closest to your beliefs; they are perfectly willing to sit back and let terrorists kill us all.

[radicalamericannationalist]

Actually, there is a good argument that Republicans in control of Congress are more willing to pass these monster bills because of Bush being a fellow Republican. When else would Ted Kennedy;s education bill have made it through the Senate, let alone the Hose? That said, times are too dangerous to trust Kerry with any level of leadership.

[radicalamericannationalist]

They have hated us since the Seventh century. What did we do to antagonize them into conquering Spain? Or besieging Vienna?

[Logophile]

Again, the charge of Anti-Semitism is used to stifle debate....For the record, I support self-determination for EVERYBODY...Israel and the Palestinians...but some unfortunately, want it for only one side...

Your conclusion is correct, but probably not in the way you intended. In the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Arafat and his thugs are the ones who stand in the way of "self-determination for everybody."

And yes, anyone who speaks up for the Palestinian side can fairly be suspected of antisemitism, considering that Palestinians' desire to kill Jews.

[Theodore R.]

But LBJ got some Republican support for his "Great Society" initiatives way back then. Senate Minority Everett Dirksen, R-IL, often bailed out his friend Lyndon to break filibusters and muster some Republican votes for liberal programs.

[Athwart]

Hmmmm...If I remember correctly,we were once allies with Saddam,

Yes. Often we have allied ourselves with the evil to fight greater or more immediately dangerous evils. Stalin, of course, being the most extreme example. Would you argue that this is always the wrong policy?

until he made the error of invading Kuwait,which apparently got our angst...

Error is one way to put it. Outrage, empire-building, threat to the entire Middle East is another. Take your pick. Would you have let it stand?

what followed was our invasion of Kuwait and war against Iraq...

Invasion. Huh. Interesting choice of words. I suppose you'd say we "invaded" occupied France during WW2?

not to mention our economic sanctions and on and off bombing...He did not exactly fire the "first shot"...

Ah, so would you argue that he was justified in trying to assassinate our President and shooting at our pilots? Or perhaps I presume. You do not particularly seem to take the side of the U.S. in these matters, and I do not wish to insult you by assuming that you are an American.

As you may know, Saddam was operating under the terms of a cease-fire he had signed. We bombed his air-defense sites when he ordered them to paint and fire on our pilots. All he had to do to get the sanctions lifted was comply with the cease-fire. He chose otherwise.

[FesterUSMC]

as for the Scarborough Book, I don't necessarily disagree with his analysis that we have overspent, BUT I feel if the Daschle democrats still ruled the nest, the spending would have been worse, what I fault Joe on is the timing of the release of his book, he could have waited till December to release it...

[Pete98]

We've "stuck our noses" into the middle east? LOL

Were we wrong to "stick our noses" into the Pacific rim or Europe in the 1940s?

[Clemenza]

Really sad, as Buchanan is still (on his good days) one of the best political analysts out there. He is becoming a parody of his former self.

[radicalamericannationalist]

Republicans have changed since the days of LBJ, I hope.

BTW, you name an homage to Teddy or just a coincidence?

[ApesForEvolution]

Yassir, Buchanan...retard.

[radicalamericannationalist]

If he puts the fear of the electorate on fiscal discipline in some people, more power to him

[ApesForEvolution]

How long have you been an anti-Semite?

[ApesForEvolution]

I agree, but limiting our isolation to our coalition of the willing would be a great thing...

[WestVirginiaRebel]

And third-party supporters wonder why they don't win votes.

[ApesForEvolution]

Did ND ever answer the question?

[Mr. Jazzy]

Actually, Saddam DID fire the first shot.


Remember the ship, I believe it was the USS Stark?

One of Iraq's hot shot "cloud jockeys" slammed a air to surface missile in it's side!

That was a message sent to the US that we paid little, if any, attention too.

Look, I voted for Pat a long time ago. Agree with him on some issues, but in the middle east he is blowing smoke out his lower quadrant "vapors and solids vent"!

He has been wrong many times in his personal estimation of international affairs. Anyone remember when Pat told the world that Nova Scotia was going to leave Canada and attempt to become the 52nd state? Hmmm? He was serious about that, just as he is about the middle east, ... and just as wrong!