Ron Paul vs. Eric Dondero
By Kevin Price Posted in Archived — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Last week I commented on a post regarding the candidacy of Eric Dondero against Ron Paul in a race for Congress.
I have consistently supported Ron Paul for years and have always believed that it is important to have a libertarian benchmark like him in the Congress.
However, I consider the single most important issue facing the US today to be the war against Islamic Fascism. I'm being told, particularly by friends of Paul, this is a war we cannot win. Furthermore, I'm even seeing it described as a 21st century version of the Crusades. What a ridiculous proposition.
The facts are, we don't have the luxury to choose whether or not we fight this war. We must. They started it and we are fools to think they will leave us alone if we simply go away.
Please take note: we do not have the power to stop the war only possibly where the war is fought. They brought it (after actions against the US around the world for years) to the United States. We wisely moved it to the Middle East, rather than the Midwest. This was and is a sensible move.
I find comments about "winning" the war irritating. We are in no position to have that discussion. We can only hope to simply determine where it is fought. I want it fought over there by well trained volunteers.
The Dondero campaign is interpreting my comments on Ron Paul as an endorsement for Eric, specifically, "I believe an Eric Dondero candidacy for Congress would be a move that would be beneficial to Texas." This is not an endorsement of Dondero, although it can be interpreted that way, but an endorsement for competition against Ron Paul.
I strongly believe in the power of ideas and competition, Paul needs to be challenged.
Since I commented favorably on Dondero, I have received numerous emails from individuals who have very unflattering things to say about Eric. My exposure to Dondero has been very limited, but favorable; but if these things prove true, I will not be able to support his candidacy. Furthermore, I have not endorsed his candidacy. I simply support a challenge to Ron Paul among Republicans. A conservative challenge to Paul is what the citizens of Texas need.
Kevin, while I too have voted for and supported Paul for many years, I cannot help but concur with your assessment that the war IS the issue. I disagree to some extent with your statement that ‘we didn’t ask for this war’… while the ‘we’ may not be you and I, I think that the country as whole has been asking for this war – but certainly not in the way that Congressman Paul has stated.
Yesterday while working in the shop I had the TV tuned to Blackhawk Down. While I didn't get tears this time, I did experience my usual anger over the whole situation. The bungling Clinton administration did more to undermine our safety - through inaction and cowardice - than does the fact that when we DO fight, we breed some more cockroaches.
We cannot afford to abandon this fight, and if anything it should be prosecuted with more vigor. A modern day Crusades? Perhaps; after all, the Crusades were the efforts of the western Anglo-Europeans to repel the Muslim hoards that had gradually swept across Europe with their usual ideal civilization in tow. The Crusades saved Western Europe and whether or not we want to say the GWOT is based on religion, it is indeed a battle for the heart and soul of civilization and at least one side firmly believes it is based on religion.
Regardless of the labels, the modern civilized nations of the world cannot afford to sit idly by and wait for the Islamic fascists to gain even more power. Isolationism is simply not an option.
So for we have Eric Dondero and Chris Peden declared. I plan on getting to know both of them better...
If that is the only competition he gets. We'll see if any state legislators want to step into this race when the session is over. Glenn Hegar - the most natural state senator who would have clobbered Ron Paul - has declined.