At least $200 billion a year would be saved by getting out of Iraq and cutting back on U.S. foreign intervention in 130 countries. Even taxpayer-paid humanitarian aid to treat the genocide in Darfur is not a wise course, he added. “There is not much evidence that much of this is successful, some of it has been, but we are also broke,” Paul said.
Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said his opposition to the Iraq war, his strict adherence to the Constitution and calls to change the monetary standard all fueled his GOP fundraising record via the Internet.
“I think the attention-getter is the war because it’s a big issue, but I think that prompts a lot of people to go look at our Web site and say, ‘Oh, I agree with these other issues,’ ” Paul said during an interview with The Telegraph editorial board on Wednesday.
The 72-year-old, soft-spoken Texas congressman already had a legendary individual donor base, the third largest in Congress as far back as 1994.
“I have always done my fundraising by direct mail. I have never been able to call people up and say, ‘hey, send me some money,’ and I don’t deal with the special interests,” Paul said.
“Do you realize how many mailings you would have to send out to get 20,000 new people? Many, many pieces of mail, hundreds of thousands of dollars and yet, this money all came in for free. All of the sudden they found us, sent money and are on our list. It’s sort of like on autopilot now.”
Despite the newfound largesse, Paul is mired in single digits in New Hampshire and national polls. But he insists a surprise showing in the first-in-the-nation primary is possible even though he’s campaigned here less than better-known candidates.
He shrugs off criticism that his Iraq war opposition is a losing issue with a GOP base who, by a clear majority, want to finish the job of helping that country form a power-sharing government among secular factions.
“They say I’m anti-military, but who has the most contributors of any candidate, Democrat or Republican, from our fighting men and women? I do,” said Paul, an Air Force surgeon during the Vietnam War era.
Paul was the only Republican in Congress to oppose the Iraq war in 2002.
If elected, Paul would withdraw all American troops from Iraq and opposes spending any more foreign or domestic aid to rebuild the country.
“They are a rich country, they have oil, and that’s how it should be paid for,” Paul said.
“We have to give up the principle of blowing things up around the world, as well as rebuilding. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can get back to fiscal sanity.”
The threat of Iran developing a nuclear weapon has been overblown, and their chances of using one are “slim to none,” he said.
For those who might like more info:
(0 Troop support) http://www.ronpaul2008.com/state…/iowa/#military
(1. straw polls) http://www.ronpaul2008.com/straw…aw-poll-results
(2. Ron Paul: A New Hope) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F…h?v=FG2PUZoukfA
(3. National Threat) http://www.ronpaulnation.com/tv….al_david_walker
(4. True cost of gas) http://www.terrarossa.com/?p=225
(5. America: Freedom to Fascism) http://www.freedomtofascism.com
(6. The Secret Government…) http://bullnotbull.blogspot.com/…ill-moyers.html
(7. Truth about Giuliani) http://therealrudy.org/
(8. CIA drug dealing) http://youtube.com/watch?v=1l31x-IIK4E
(9. Civil Liberties Lost) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t…related&search=
(10. Money Masters) http://video.google.com/videopla…319560256183936
(11. Iraq War: Legal or Illegal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1…related&search=
Book list from Ron Paul recommended reading for Giuliani:
– Imperial Hubris by Michael Scheuer
– Dying to Win, by Robert Pape
– Blowback, by Chalmers Johnson
– 9/11 Commission Report
– 1984, by George Orwell
Other books:
– A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship, by Ron Paul
– The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt