Ron Paul on Fiscal Conservatives: They Can Take on NPR, But Drop the Ball on Afghanistan

Rep. Ron Paul on the House floor yesterday:

mocked so-called fiscal conservatives for moving so enthusiastically to defund NPR, a move which might save the government $10 million dollars when we have spent upwards of a trillion in Afghanistan in the last decade.

There's a serious question of whether [defunding NPR] will even cut one penny, but at least the fiscal conservatives are going to be overwhelmingly in support of slashing NPR, go home and brag about how they're such great fiscal conservatives!  And the very most they might save is $10 million.  And that's their claim to fame for slashing the budget.  At the same time they won't consider for minute cutting a real significant amount of money.

 In the end the House voted to defund NPR and rejected an immediate Afghanistan pullout.

Paul was one of only eight Republicans to step to the plate and vote for an end to the Afghan war yesterday. It was co-sponsored by Paul and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh.) and lost 321-93. For those interested in momentum on this issue rather than victory (like the administration in its war aims….), a similar resolution in the House last year lost 356-65 with only five GOP votes.

Paul's floor speech regarding the Afghanistan pullout vote yesterday: