As I’ve watched the storm of controversy surrounding Sarah Palin, a thought ocurred to me. What the Republicans ought to do is reverse their candidates, making Palin their presidential candidate and McCain their vice-presidential candidate.
After all, the biggest concern about Palin is her lack of foreign-policy experience. Yet, when we consider the best interests of America, isn’t that her biggest asset?
Look at where the experienced people, including McCain, Obama, and Biden have brought us—an interventionist foreign policy that in turn has produced a perpetual war on terrorism that in turn has moved our nation toward medieval times with such things as toture, denial of due process and habeas corpus, spying on the citizenry, arbitrary arrests, indefinite detentions, and warrantless searches.
Even worse, the experienced candidates really believe in all this junk and are firmly committed to moving our nation in this same direction.
Now, I’m not unmindful of the fact that in her speech last night Palin embraced the war on terrorism and made the same mocking comments about civil liberties that have come to characterize Republicans.
All I’m suggesting is that with the candidates with foreign policy experience, there is no doubt that we’re going to get more of the same. With someone without such experience, we at least have the chance of moving our nation in the direction of freedom and a limited government republic before we reach the cliff.
Isn’t some chance better than no chance?
A fascinating aspect of the Republican convention last night was the surreal nature of the proceedings. The speakers spent considerable time mouthing libertarian mantras, such as freedom, free enterprise, and limited government. One speaker even exclaimed against a Big Brother government (without mentioning the NSA and telecom immunity of course). They talked about “changing Washington.”
What planet do these people live on? Bizarro World? Don’t they know who was in charge of the presidency and the Congress for several years? Didn’t they tell us throughout the 1990s that if they were just given control over both the executive and legislative branches, they would slash federal spending, abolish departments and agencies, balance the budget, and rein in big government?
Well, hello! Reality check. Given that McCain has been in Congress for several decades, why are we to assume that he would do anything different, especially since his philosophy hasn’t changed one iota?
By the way, has the statute of limitations run on filing breach of contract lawsuits with respect to the Republican Contract with America?
All this is about the biggest crock I’ve ever seen.
Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that Obama and Biden are any different. As longtime, experienced members of Congress, they are as committed to the philosophy of the welfare-warfare state as McCain.
What our nation desperately needs is a heavy dose of libertarianism. No, not just libertarian mantras but, more important, the consistent application of libertarian principles.
Don’t look to experienced Washington statists for that. Instead, for the way out of the welfare-warfare morass we must look to libertarianism and to ourselves—the American people.
