EPTOn December 14 2010 16:53 Myrmidon wrote:
I likewise guessed Ron Paul from the thread title. I don't at all agree with many of his positions, but I do agree that it would be nice to have more voices like his that represent views outside the mainstream two-party establishment/leadership.
To be honest, there are others who think the recent Wikileaks release is good for U.S. interests, but for varying reasons. I recently read a column by Fareed Zakaria that argued that the recent leak was net positive overall, for some of the following reasons (very paraphrased, and I may be forgetting or adding things):
I likewise guessed Ron Paul from the thread title. I don't at all agree with many of his positions, but I do agree that it would be nice to have more voices like his that represent views outside the mainstream two-party establishment/leadership.
To be honest, there are others who think the recent Wikileaks release is good for U.S. interests, but for varying reasons. I recently read a column by Fareed Zakaria that argued that the recent leak was net positive overall, for some of the following reasons (very paraphrased, and I may be forgetting or adding things):
- It showed that U.S. State Dept. officials are intelligent, good at analysis and writing, and overall competent.
- Every country has dirty secrets, but what was revealed here was pretty tame and not all that condemning.
- It showed that neighboring countries actually hate Iran and are afraid of its nuclear program, which supports U.S. interests in hampering Iran's nuclear program. The revelations are so bad for Iran that Ahmedinejad claims that the U.S. government itself was behind Wikileaks.
- It showed China (publicly one of North Korea's largest supporters) being frustrated with North Korea being a little bitch, which likewise supports U.S. interests with regards to that country.
None of those things are really news though - people following the issues closely already knew that much. I'm a little amused that he felt the need to point out the State Department officials are smart and good at what they do. I can't fathom why anybody would think otherwise.
About the best that can be said about Ron Paul is that while he is crazy, he's at least consistently crazy. Congress could do with more members willing to break from party orthodoxy; political deadlock is one of the major problems in this country.
