[WOSG]

Paul would claim Jefferson too,
while ignoring the irony that in response to Muslim predations, Jefferson sent our marines over to Tripoli to topple a Government who was supporting piracy (the terrorism of the era) against us.

Of course that all misses the point that a few things have changed in the world since 1805.

“And Ike and Reagan’s interventions were in the context of the Cold War, they weren’t utopian attempts to remake societies.”

Our current efforts in the world are not utopian they are part and parcel of the global war on terror. When people miscast our efforts in iraq and afghanistan as not related to GWOT, they strike me as clueless or disingenuous.

“I haven’t followed the Paul controversy as closely as I should but I think some of the attacks on him are way out of line.”

I think Ron Paul’s and his defenders’ distortions of history to back up their points are out of line. It’s apPAULling how ignorant of history even those on our own side are.

[Pelham]

Al Qaeda had bases in Afghanistan and allies in the Taliban gov't. A legitimate and necessary target for military action. Iraq had an atheistic tyrant that tolerated Christians as well as Moslems. Religion wasn't Saddam's motivation, power was. We discovered no nuclear facilties in Iraq. The claim that we needed to fear a mushroom cloud from Saddam proved false.

When people miscast our efforts in iraq and afghanistan as not related to GWOT, they strike me as clueless or disingenuous.

Then you best take that up with Dubya, who when pressed said the administration didn't claim a link between Iraq and al Qaeda. A number of Bush's inner circle were spoiling for a fight with Saddam while Clinton was still in office. They weren't shy about it, you can still see their position on Iraq at PNAC.