Posted on 02/29/2016 2:41:44 PM PST by drewh
Donald Trump’s runaway success in the GOP primaries so far is setting off alarm bells among neoconservatives who are worried he will not pursue the same bellicose foreign policy that has dominated Republican thinking for decades.
Neoconservative historian Robert Kagan — one of the prime intellectual backers of the Iraq War and an advocate for Syrian intervention — announced in the Washington Post last week that if Trump secures the nomination, “the only choice will be to vote for Hillary Clinton.”
Max Boot, an unrepentant supporter of the Iraq War, wrote in the Weekly Standard that a “Trump presidency would represent the death knell of America as a great power,” citing, among other things, Trump’s objection to a large American troop presence in South Korea.
Trump has done much to trigger the scorn of neocon pundits. He denounced the Iraq War as a mistake based on Bush administration lies, just prior to scoring a sizable victory in the South Carolina GOP primary. In last week’s contentious GOP presidential debate, he defended the concept of neutrality in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is utterly taboo on the neocon right.
“It serves no purpose to say you have a good guy and a bad guy,” he said, pledging to take a neutral position in negotiating peace.
This set off his rival Marco Rubio, who replied, “The position you’ve taken is an anti-Israel position. … Because you cannot be an honest broker in a dispute between two sides in which one of the sides is constantly acting in bad faith.”
The Jerusalem Post suggested that Rubio’s assault on Trump’s views on the Middle East was designed to win Florida. If that’s the case, it’s apparently not working — in the Real Clear Politics averaging of GOP primary polls in the state, Trump is polling higher than he ever has.
In his quest to take up George W. Bush’s mantle, Rubio has arrayed a fleet of neoconservative funders, ranging from pro-Israel billionaire Paul Singer to Norman Braman, a billionaire auto dealer who funds Israeli settlements in the West Bank. His list of advisers is like a rolodex of Iraq War backers, ranging from Bush administration alumni Elliot Abrams and Stephen Hadley, to Kagan and serial war propagandist Bill Kristol.
Kristol also sits on the board of the Emergency Committee for Israel — a dark money group that assails candidates it perceives as insufficiently pro-Israel. The group started airing an ad this weekend against Trump portraying him as an ally to despots like Bashar Assad, Saddam Hussein, and Muammar Qaddafi — mostly because he argued that military invasions of Libya and Iraq left those countries worse off:
Even when Trump echoes certain elements of neoconservative orthodoxy — he repeatedly and emphatically calls for strengthening the military — he does so in a unique way. He talks not about spending more money but defying the “special interests” who make the Pentagon order “missiles they don’t want because of politics … because the company that makes the missiles is a contributor.”
Jacob Heilbrunn, author of They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons, suggested in July 2014 that neoconservatives might be preparing to ally with Hillary Clinton.
With Trump’s ascendancy, it’s possible that the parties will reorient their views on war and peace, with Trump moving the GOP to a more dovish direction and Clinton moving the Democrats towards greater support for war.
Bill Kristol, Fred Barnes are classic neocons.
I’ll never forget the Fred Barnes candidacy and watching FoxNews and getting schooled in neocon behavior.
Great lesson.
its easier than beating my head against the wall
I have yet to see a definition of "neoconservative" that makes any sense.
Didn't that originate with "establishment," the GOPe as a term of derision?
That graphic is great! Especially the pope cursing! Hahahaha
Robert Kagan can ESAD, for all I care.
I’ll take a chance on the self made billionaire who claims to love America’s free market system over anyone else at this point.
Your graphic sucks by the way. I’m surprised to left Trump’s wife in the shot.
VIDEO: TRUMP’s lies, its so easy to see if you look
https://www.facebook.com/DailyWire/videos/1526322817663544/
Amen.
I have not seen the neoconservatives declare war on Hillary or on Obama, even after all the damage he has caused this nation. They are not conservatives and have caused confusion as to what it means to be a conservative.
Good. The neocons have been weakening us for a quarter century. Posturing as tough guys while sapping our strength, prosperity, security and sovereignty.
“A speedy victory is the main object in war. If this is long in coming, weapons are blunted and morale depressed. If troops are attacking cities, their strength will be exhausted. When the army engages in protracted campaigns, the resources of the state will fall short. When your weapons are dulled and ardor dampened, your strength exhausted and treasure spent, the chieftains of the neighboring states will take advantage of your crisis to act. In that case, no man, however wise, will be able to avert the disastrous consequences that ensue. Thus, while we have heard of stupid haste in war, we have not yet seen a clever operation that was prolonged. for there has never been a protracted war which benefited a country. Therefore, those unable to understand the evils inherent in employing troops are equally unable to understand the advantageous ways of doing so.”
~ Sun Tzu
All of these politicians are committing political suicide if they refuse to support Trump. The Trump followers will not forget come election time. Any senator, such as Sasse and Graham, will not receive any votes from the Trump followers. And with his support now at the 50% mark, most if not all of those rejecting Trumps legitimacy will not be reelected.
Trump followers will have long memories, and pay back will be hell.
Well, I won’t so chalk me up as a person who learned this from the CruzBots.
Because you’re that much of a Trump cult fanatic that you’d reject politicians who vote conservative 90%+ of the time?
Even if you support Trump, rejecting someone who is MORE conservative and just happens to be a purist about it is a TERRIBLE idea if you are actually conservative. Great plan if you’re a libtard though.
I know!!! I can’t believe he had the audacity to say that! Where has HE been?! Right there is a perfect example of how clueless they are.
so you’ll vote for the hillary supporter?
or will you vote for the guy who told the NEW YORK TIMES to not believe him on immigration?
http://www.mediaite.com/print/ny-times-reportedly-has-audio-of-donald-trump-softening-his-immigration-stance/
NY Times Reportedly Has Audio of Donald Trump Softening His Immigration Stance
by Alex Griswold | 2:58 pm, February 29th, 2016 42
PicMonkey-Collage-TrumpAccording to a report from Buzzfeed, Donald Trump softened his stance on illegal immigration during a conversation with The New York Times and audio of the moment exists.
Buzzfeed’s editor-in-chief Ben Smith reports that during Trump’s December editorial meeting, he went off-the-record to discuss his stance on illegal immigration. In the audio, which Smith says has “reached near-mythical status at the Times,” Trump supposedly says that his tough stance was just a starting point in negotiations, and he was actually flexible.
ADVERTISING
The Times released the audio of some of Trump’s interview earlier to counter his claim that they lied about his support for a 45% tariff. But that was part was on-the-record; the Times has refused Buzzfeed’s request to turn over the transcript or audio of his remarks on immigration.
There is some hope that that the audio may yet see the light of day if Trump okays it. “If he wants to call up and ask us to release this transcript, he’s free to do that and then we can decide what we would do,” Times editor Andrew Rosenthal told Smith.
[Image via screengrab]
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>>Follow Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) on Twitter
Most people don’t even know that these neo-cons are actually leftists who moved from the democrat party when that party became more of a peace at any price party. They still support all the leftist social causes, open borders, abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, political correctness, and whatever else all liberals support. Their only goal is to drag the US into every war they can in the Middle East.
By Euram
Maybe Pub you might try more reading and less snarking.
Steaming pantload. That list in his wedding photo. Tell me that even 20 years ago any of that true about the GOP, As for Trump dodging a draft, there is far more evidence that Cheney was a draft dodger. He even said he had better things to do. This is the same for almost every GOP congressfool and senator in the 90s. Gingrich used deferments. Romney was a missionary deferment.
GOP never tolerated adultery? Are you stoned?
That was a real laugher. But nice try.
PS, I hope you’re going to be ok tomorrow.
I like woozy Jeb saying ‘must spend more money!’ lol
So, those folks have joined up with the conservatives.
That's good.
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