Ron Paul was asked: “Are you running for the nomination in the wrong party?” I forget what he said, but the actual answer is “Yes.” Ron should be the candidate of the Constitution party. The Republican party is not a reliably conservative party. It is a slightly right-of-center party that American conservatives vote for grudgingly, because they believe that only the two big parties can ever win the presidency, and Republican administrations are very slightly more likely to very occasionally enact conservative measures than are Democratic administrations.
Duncan Hunter wants our political leaders to “listen to the generals.” Well, sure. Of course politicians should take advice from their generals. Generals can be idiots too, though; and there is a long, very well-justified, tradition in the Anglosphere of scoffing at the stupidity and pig-headedness of military men. The contradiction here appeared in its most acute form in a recent issue of The American Conservative when a book reviewer, in order to heap scorn on the Bush
administration for not taking the advice of its generals, repeatedly quoted from Siegfried Sassoon’s poems MOCKING THE STUPIDITY OF GENERALS!
“He’s a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.
But he did for them both by his plan of attack.
Etc., etc.
Mitt Romney: “Cut out the unnecessary and wasteful [in govt. departments] ... Let’s make Washington more efficient...” As Jonah would say: BWAAH HA HA HA!
John McCain: Enough with the drunken sailor joke already, John.
Mike Huckabee: “Spending like John Edwards at a beauty shop.” I never thought I’d be tempted to use the word “mean-spirited,” but I am here. This is Coulter territory, Mike — it’s marked out, like a minefield. Stay away.
Jim Gilmore: Well, at least there was ONE question about the coming “perfect storm” that Fed Chairman Bernanke has been warning about — the one that hits in the next administration when swelling numbers of boomer retirees meet dwindling numbers of taxpaying young workers. But Gilmore side-stepped, of course. They all do. I’m willing to bet we shall get through the entire election season without hearing any candidate, from either party, speak honestly about this. We going to raise taxes (a lot), or reduce benefits (a lot)? Which one, candidates? Kitchen... light switch... roaches... etc.
Tom Tancredo: Republicans have “lost the mantle of fiscal responsibility.” Yep. It will be that, not “IRAQ,” that goes on the tombstone of Bush Republicanism.
Jim Gilmore: “Rudy McRomney.” Well, a little humor is welcome. Can’t we have some humor that is actually FUNNY, though? Is the nation really so short of comedy writers the pols can’t hire a few into their campaign staffs?
John McCain: “I will reach across the aisle.” NO-O-O-O.....
Sam Brownback spoke approvingly of the 1986 immigration amnesty. You know, the one that inspired the 12 million or so illegals we currently have to try their luck. A lot, a lot, A LOT of education still to do on immigration issues with these candidates. Nobody mentioned (or asked about) LEGAL immigration, which seriously needs attention, especially the issues of chain migration and birthright citizenship.
Rudy Giuliani was hit with Mike Huckabee’s argument that to say you hate abortion but would allow it anyway, is like saying you hate slavery but would allow it anyway. That’s an example of the “reductio ad servitum” argument that I have written about somewhere — the impulse to link anything one disapproves of with race slavery. It’s a nontrivial argument in this case, though. If you place embryos and fetuses on the same moral level as postnatal babies/children/persons, as of course pro-lifers do, then both abortion and slavery are gross mistreatments of human persons. Abortion exists, and abortion rights are widely supported, because a great many people DON’T make that moral equivalence. Can you get them to make it (or, a pro-lifer would say, to SEE it)? Can you effect a “reformation of manners” like the one that occurred when people’s eyes were opened to the fact that black slaves were human beings like themselves? That’s the issue. But of course Rudy just side-stepped it with some waffle about having reduced abortions in NYC. That just plays right in to the “reductio ad servitum” argument: “The number of negro slaves declined during my administration...” etc.
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