The Case for War

Paul Ryan says that he and Romney will only take the US to war if the national interests of this country are threatened.  He didn't really define this but there are indicators from past actions.  While Mitt Romney was dodging the draft of a war that he not only fully supported but a war where he helped organize pro-war protests.  That war was Vietnam.  A war where there were no clear threats to our national security other than the domino effect of communism.  In fact today with the communists still in charge Vietnam has become an important trading partner, Mitt may have even shipped some American jobs over there.  Paul Ryan voted for the war in Iraq and Mitt Romney supported it.  Again another conflict without a clear threat to the country.  So, if they win expect to go into both Syria and Iran not that either country poses a threat to this country.  Even if Iran had a bomb they would be incapable of delivering to the United States.  If by some miracle they pulled off blowing one up in the US what exactly would happen to Iran?  I think that we would no longer have to worry about the Iranians.  Syria is simply not a threat and there is no clear good group worthy of our support.

Another Jonah Goldberg Moment

How does someone like Jonah Goldberg continue to be a syndicated columnist?  Today he writes in the Wisconsin State Journal about Wikileaks.  Not that the leaks were bad as many are writing about today.  Not that they are good for Democracy as others are writing.  No, he chose this moment to attack the Obama foreign policy.  How does the document dump reflect on a foreign policy that increasingly looks like President Bush's?  In Jonah's world it show a weak an indecisive leader and a policy run by lawyers who speak legalese (niceties).  All of this because the Saudis were begging the administration to launch an attack on Iran.  I thought that with the Right the United States did what it wants and doesn't ask permission from other countries.  Yet here is a member of the Right saying that we should bow (remember the uproar when Obama did in fact bow) to the Saudis and attack Iran.  Iran is like Iraq 2.0 (which Saudi Arabia also suggested we attack).  On the surface it promises to be easy.  We'll be greeted as liberators.  The people don't like the religious authority, they want freedom.  Get under the surface it looks like Iraq only may be harder.  If Saudi Arabia doesn't like their neighbor across the gulf take some of the weapons that we sold them and do it themselves.  I for one think that we cannot continue to act as a mercenary force, especially in the Middle East.  Iran is only a threat to the US because George W. Bush has parked the US military on three sides of Iran.  They do not have a missile capable of striking the US.  They did not and do not harbor the terrorist organization that attacked this country.  They might be involved in Iraq, but then again so are we and they already fought one 10 year war with them.  I'm sure that Jonah would have gotten his wish if McCain had won the election.  Fortunately this foreign policy team of lawyers recognizes that you just can't attack another country without provocation because someone tells you to do it.  Jonah why don't you jump off a bridge, I'll look for a Saudi to tell you to do it.