We Are Witnessing The Biggest Rift In Republican Foreign Policy Since The 50s

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/rick-perry-and-rand-paul-fight-2014-7



The sharp exchange last weekend between Rick Perry and Rand Paul over Iraq — and more broadly, its relationship to the “Reagan legacy” in foreign policy — may have seemed like mid-summer entertainment to many observers, or perhaps just a food fight between two men thinking about running against each other for president in 2016.

But from a broader perspective, we may be witnessing the first really serious division in the Republican Party over international affairs since the 1950s.

Republican unity on foreign policy and national security matters during the long period since “isolationists” and “internationalists” battled for party supremacy in the age of Taft and Dewey has been remarkable, particularly when compared to the frequent struggles among Democrats.

The Donkey Party, after all, experienced major ruptures over Vietnam in the 1960s and early 1970s, and over Iraq in the early aughts, and less traumatic but significant bouts of dissension over the Nicaraguan contras and nuclear policy in the 1980s, and over the First Gulf War in 1991.



Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/why-the-fight-between-rick-perry-and-rand-paul-actually-matters#ixzz37d61AtmV

[randome]

1. There is no foreign policy discussion going on here.

This is only Republicans trying to stand out from the crowd. Mere pandering and trial ballooning and polling.

It's not real. But the GOP fading from power...that's real.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Enrique]

2. I think it is real

based on listening to RW radio. The hosts are defensive about their hawkish views. They are making their pro-war arguments to their own audiences, it's no longer just "the left" that they are arguing with.

[randome]

7. Of course I could be wrong.

It's just hard to take any Republican seriously when the only thing they 'believe' in is to be against anything Progressives are for.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[AngryAmish]

3. It is not just the republicans

In our party we have the all war, all the time everywhere of the Samantha Powers wing. And we also have the reconstruction at home wing typically articulated by the Congressional Black Caucus.

This is an important conversation to have.

[Sunlei]

4. Paul doesn't look well

Perry should share his make up artist with Ron Paul

Oh sorry that is Rand and what did he ever do with his father he kind of disappeared

[RKP5637]

5. Perry's wearing glasses trying to look intelligent!

[Sunlei]

9. Glasses don't help. Perry should wear his A & M hat

He went to Texas A & M? Perry was another spoonfed child of very wealthy parents.

Perhaps his College sport uniform, pretty sure he was an A & M male cheerleader.

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. Rick Perry criticizes “the parts of Rand Paul’s foreign policy I can remember”

AUSTIN—in a clear signal that he may run again for President, Gov. Rick Perry (R—TX) today published an Op-Ed blasting Rand Paul’s foreign policy.

“Look, I haven’t read the papers for a while,” said Perry. “But my recollection is that he had some pretty dumb stuff in there about Iraq, or maybe Afghanistan. And I can’t remember exactly what he said about Israel but I recall being irked by it.”

Perry said that “Rand Paul’s mistaken views on places like France and Europe will drag us back to the days of the McEnroe doctrine.” He added that “there was something I think he said once about Mexico, or maybe Canada—it was, like, ‘maybe we should tax them,’ or maybe something about the food—whatever it was, it was just flat wrong.” He also said Paul gave insufficient focus to the border with Australia.

Perry was relatively upfront about his motives in writing the editorial. “Look, I don’t want people to think of me as a policy lightweight,” he said in a subsequent interview. “I want people to think of me as the guy who doesn’t care if children die in my state from preventable diseases.”

[TwilightGardener]

8. The question is, why would anyone take either of these clowns seriously on foreign policy?

Smart Glasses is a governor that barely knows his ass from a hole in the ground--some neocon wrote his op-ed for him and put his name on it--and Paul is just imitating his dad's position (because it worked for old Ron), but with more Israel flattery.

[Sunlei]

10. well they are "foreign made" designer frames and those are about $2,500

The suits an expensive foreign made suit, so Perry knows plenty about foreign stuff!