You seem to be smacking some strawmen around nicely. Serious question: If a person with Ron Paul's (supposed) position on smaller government came out to the podium at one of the debates in a Batman costume and insisted the moderator address him as "The Dark Knight" or "Mr. Wayne," would you vote for him?
No, right?
Well, when Ron Paul comes out and acts like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a sane and logical person who can be deterred by MAD policy like some Politburo official drinking vodka in his dacha on the weekend, that's as crazy to me as coming out to the podium in a Batman suit. Now, if you want to call that reaction a fear of smaller government, feel free, but you're just making more crazy to go with your candidate's crazy if you do.
If you count that as a serious question, then I guess we differ from the get go when it comes to language. Would you fashion a fancy stick, swat hornets' nests with it, and then expect obedience and adulation in return? Essentially that is what we do when we allow our dear leaders to advance Western principles by force and without invitation.
Western principles are great. They are worthy of strong defense, and even widespread promotion. But if you think they won't cause issues when spread into snake pits, well, look at our economy now. We've taken our best resources and spread them into all corners of the world like honey on a dog turd. Now we get to experience the stink and sting.
Maybe you don't think we have the wherewithal and resources to defend ourselves within our own borders while trading peaceably with foreign interests. Send me a little cash for a bazooka to guard the ghetto over my way. I promise, you'll feel safer and you'll be more prosperous. But be ready to bleed when the locals reject my sense of how they need a little policin'.