Posted on 05/17/2007 8:25:50 AM PDT by K-oneTexas
Straightening Out Rep. Ron Quixote
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Wednesday, May 16, 2007
War On Terror: GOP gadfly Rep. Ron Paul claims 9/11 was "blowback" for bombing and sanctioning Iraq the previous decade. But that's another romantic notion of isolationists. Just ask Osama bin Laden.
Paul, an idealistic White House hopeful from Texas who opposes the Iraq War, shocked fellow Republicans at the presidential debate in South Carolina on Tuesday when he argued that al-Qaida terrorists "attack us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for 10 years."
A visibly agitated Rudy Giuliani cut Paul off.
"That's really an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of Sept. 11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq," the former New York mayor said. "I don't think I have ever heard that before, and I have heard some pretty absurd explanations for Sept. 11."
It took another long-shot candidate, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, to straighten Paul out, however.
"Whether or not we were in Iraq, they would be trying to kill us, because it is a dictate of their religion," Tancredo explained. "And we have to defend ourselves."
Indeed, al-Qaida's fatwas include a long list of grievances. Not only do terrorists liberally quote the Quran to support a broader jihad against the West, but they map out at least six fronts — only one of which is Iraq.
Their real grievance regarding Iraq predates U.S. occupation. Baghdad was once the seat of the ancient Islamic empire, the so-called caliphate, and the terrorists have always dreamed of restoring it. Saddam Hussein, a secular nationalist (or "infidel," in the words of bin Laden), was just as much a hindrance to their dream as we are today.
In bin Laden's 1996 fatwa declaring war on the U.S., sanctions against Iraq are an afterthought. Far more prominent are his railings against American "kuffars" defiling holy soil in Saudi Arabia, and Jews controlling the Islamic shrine in Jerusalem.
"The people of the cross had come with their soldiers and occupied the land of the two holy places," bin Laden hissed. "And the Zionist Jews fiddling as they wish with the al-Aqsa mosque."
Over and over he grumbles about "the Americans who are assisting their Zionist brothers in occupying Palestine." Even Bosnia gets more ink than Iraq. The terror kingpin is mad about so many things, it's hard to keep track of them all.
But by the end of his screed, he makes it simple: the enemy is everyone and everything non-Muslim.
"Fighting Jihad against the kuffar in every part of the world is absolutely essential," he said. "It is the duty of every Muslim in this world."
Clearly bin Laden's beef isn't limited to Iraq. It encompasses infidels everywhere. Iraq is just a convenient excuse to claim "injustices" and justify his serial violence in the court of world opinion. Paul apparently has fallen for this ploy for sympathy.
If al-Qaida didn't raise the banner of anti-Western jihad over Iraq, it would do it over Afghanistan. If not Afghanistan, then Kashmir. Or Somalia. Or Chechnya. Or perennial "Palestine."
Just this month, bin Laden's deputy exalted the faithful to "raise the banner of Jihad as it makes its way through a rugged path of sacrifice toward Jerusalem.
"You see, it's not about justice; it's about claiming Jerusalem — and beyond — for Allah."
He also entreated jihadists to "restore the Caliphate," and reinstate Islamic law for the benefit of the worldwide "Muslim ummah," which knows no border or nationality.
"Death to America," he bellowed. "Death to Israel."
Make no mistake: This is the overarching ambition — and cause guerre — of the Islamic supremacists who attacked us on 9/11. We're fighting them overseas to prevent the rise of a new Islamic caliphate ruled by a doctrine of Islamofascism that would pose an even graver threat to America and its allies.
But why bother with anything as dreary as actually reading their report.
Far better to just join in with the rest of the brain dead RINOs infesting the forum of late and call Dr. Paul a nut.
L
Isolationism is one Achilles heel of the Libertarians. Drug legalization is the other.
( . . . all the libertarian candidates for office around here are unkempt stoners mumbling "Give peace a chance . . . " There's really a logical disconnect somewhere in the Libertarian Party.)
If the 9-11 Commission said that, by the way, it had better have been in the larger context of Dar-al-Islam versus Dar-al-Harb, or it was even stupider than I thought.
So you've never actually bothered to read it then.
Amazing.
L
Linking Paul to Jamie Gorelick is not going to make such statments smell any better.
Thanks for your input.
L
“He also entreated jihadists to “restore the Caliphate,” and reinstate Islamic law for the benefit of the worldwide “Muslim ummah,” which knows no border or nationality.
“Death to America,” he bellowed. “Death to Israel.” “
OBL and his ilk won’t stop til they are dead, or we are dead or ‘converted’.
Iraq is just the latest excuse offered up by the homicidal maniacs rallying to the cry of ‘world jihad’. It doesn’t matter, as the article notes, what we do, or where we chose to fight these lunatics.
They want me dead because I refuse to kneel five times per day facing Mecca in worship of Allah.
They also want Ron Paul dead, folks. And everybody that supports him, everybody that doesn’t support him. They want every US citizen thats not a practicing Muslim DEAD. Or, converted.
What part of this confuses Congressman Paul, and his vocal but tiny ‘base’?
We can’t debate domestic issues, or the Constitution, if we are all DEAD.
I certainly didn't MEMORIZE it. You have the burden here, not I.
The problem is that the Libertarian candidates take their rather intelligent philosophy to it’s logical extremes... where no philosophy can stand. Take democracy, liberalism, conservatism, etc., to their logical extremes, and you quickly get nasty results. Why they insist on standing on theirs is beyond me.
You don't actually have to taste crap to know you don't like it.
Same for the 9/11 commission report.
We know the politicians who put it together and what their agenda is. No need to swim in their sewage to recognize it for what it is.
The day I read their report will be the day after I read Al Gore's BS book.
Paul, an idealistic White House hopeful from Texas who opposes the Iraq War, shocked fellow Republicans at the presidential debate in South Carolina on Tuesday when he argued that al-Qaida terrorists "attack us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for 10 years."
A visibly agitated Rudy Giuliani cut Paul off.
Rudy did NOT cut him off. He continued answering for some time, and even took a follow-up question. Only after the 2nd time the bell went off (after the follow-up) did Rudy comment.
In fact, watching the replay, I am convinced Paul was largely right, and Rudy wrong. And in fact, it was the QUESTIONER that caused the problem. After Paul made a pretty sound argument (I disagree with) about non-interventionism, the questioner asked HIM if he was saying "we invited the attack".
Ron Paul did NOT agree with that, instead explaining what he really meant.
Then Rudy jumped in and said it was extraordinary to say "we invited the attack", when Ron Paul never said that, and refused to agree with the questioner who asked him specifically if that was what he was saying.
Uh huh....
Sure you did.....
And it was the awful prose which drove the memory of the pertinent portions from your mind.
Yea, that's the ticket.
Pitiful. Just pitiful.
L
Bump
Conversely, why would anyone attempt a defense of Ron Paul by citing a report from a brain-dead commission that had Jamie Goerlick on it? This cuts both ways.
Well thanks very much for dropping by with your valuable contribution to reasoned discourse, Scooter.
However on Earth did the forum get by without you pitching in your two cents about a document you haven't even bothered reading.
Do you do that at work?
L
Actually, it is really about Bin Laden, himself. A misfit son of a rich man, he believes he is entitled to a more exaulted role in the world than anyone would cede him.
Nice of you to some in and point out our sins.
Maybe you have more time to waste on reading such political trash rendered by a "loaded" commission dominated by liberals. That way you can feel all superior to those who didn't waste their time and who actually have a life.
That report is on the bottom end of my reading list, right under Al Gore's book and Hillary's most recent, ghost written book.
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