A Preview of the Ron Paul Administration
Ron Paul dropped by Grover Norquist's notorious/legendary (depending on whether you're reading about it via Nina Easton or via the American Spectator) Wednesday meeting this morning. Phil Klein has details:
Paul, who just signed Norquist's taxpayer protection pledge, said that in order to win a candidate has to be able to put together a coalition of Christian conservatives and economic libertarians.
I attended a breakfast with Mike Huckabee about 48 hours ago, where he argued that, no, a socially conservative statist candidate is the best equipped to win the presidency for the GOP. Usually, I think Huckabee would be right.
On foreign policy, his main point of departure from the Republican base, Paul said that traditionally, the Republican Party has been one of peace and it has historical won elections by beating Democrats who got America too involved overseas. Republicans cannot win in 2008 by sticking with a position on Iraq that is opposed by 70 percent of Americans, he said.
That's why I said "usually." Of course the likelihood of the GOP nominating Paul or another candidate who opposes the mainstream GOP Iraq policy is basically nil.
In addition, Paul advocated talking to Iran and Syria, and said that the people who accuse those who oppose the war of being isolationists are actually "diplomatic isolationists." Paul also said that our current policy toward Israel does the Israelis no favors, and if we stopped sending them money it would encourage them to speak with "moderate Arabs."
From the way Klein tells it, it doesn't sound like Paul got the best reception. He should trot out some of these lines at a liberal coffee klatsch. You know, one that Bill Maher isn't at.