Ron Paul: Obama Is Preparing for Perpetual War "Congressman addresses warmongers, directly
asks Gates, Clinton if they support Bush doctrine of
"preventive war"
In comments before the House and during a televised interview
yesterday, Congressman Ron Paul pointed out that with the decision
to increase troop presence in Afghanistan and into Pakistan,
president Obama is preparing to continue on the path of "perpetual
war for perpetual peace".
"I think it's a bit misleading." The Congressman
told Fox Business, following Obama's speech to the nation last
night.
"I think Obama is actually preparing us for perpetual
war. He's been warning in that speech and elsewhere that we
will be going into Pakistan. The idea that we're going to bring
our troops home eventually is just not so." Paul added.
"There's no way that he's going to be able to pay for
this. This is going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars,
and we don't have the money and it's going to bring us down
if we don't stop it." The Congressman continued.
"All wars are paid for through inflation, this will just
put more pressure on the Fed to create more money, because I
don't believe it would help us one bit to tax the people to
pay for the war, they'll try to, but that would be devastating
to the economy."
In response to charges of advocating a policy of cut and run
in Afghanistan, the Congressman pointed out that the Taliban
were previously allies, and also that according to the U.S.
army's own reports there are only a total of 100 Al Qaeda fighters
in Afghanistan.
"We're following this precept of perpetual war for perpetual
peace, and to me it's perpetual bankruptcy." Paul said.
"They claim they're not nation building, they claim we're
in there for national security, to destroy Al Qaeda, but our
very presence is the motivation for people to join Al Qaeda
or the Taliban."
"How many more people have to die just for us to save
face?" The Congressman asked.
"The strength that we need is a president who finally
resists the pressure by the special interests, the military
industrial complex, the bankers and all the people who want
these wars." Paul said.
Watch the interview below:
Earlier in the day, during a a joint hearing on Afghanistan
following Obama's speech, The Congressman had stern words for
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton.
"I wish I could promise you an eloquent statement where
I could convert all of you to a non-interventionist foreign
policy and a policy where we're not nation building." Paul
commented.
"I wish that I could come up with some profound questions
for the panel so that I could point out the inconsistencies
not of the current foreign policy, but of the foreign policy
that has been going on for quite a few decades."
"But all I can think about are some terms that come to
mind that I learned all the way back in the 1960s when I was
serving as a military officer, an air force officer, for five
years. And come up with thoughts 'quagmire', 'perpetual war
for perpetual peace', 'war is the health of the state', 'war
is a racket', 'truth is the first casualty of war'."
The Congressman also asked Gates and Clinton "Do you endorse
the Bush doctrine of "preventive war", or do you reject
it", prompting the following response from Clinton:
"We were attacked from Afghanistan, so even if the doctrine
is or is not an appropriate one, it is not applicable to the
situation before us."
"We were never attacked by an Afghani." Paul rebutted.
Watch the Congressman's comments and questions below:
Even if you believe the official story of 9/11, the plot was
carried out by Saudi nationals and planned in Europe, it cannot
be used as a valid reason for attacking Afghanistan.
Congressman Paul reiterated his earlier comments in remarks
on the House floor, calling the U.S. wars "the rule rather
than the exception", adding "Someday we're going to
have to wake up and look at the type of foreign policy that
the founders advised us to have, and that is nonintervention."
In comments before the House and during a televised interview
yesterday, Congressman Ron Paul pointed out that with the decision
to increase troop presence in Afghanistan and into Pakistan,
president Obama is preparing to continue on the path of "perpetual
war for perpetual peace".
