Conflicting Thoughts on Venezuela From a Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul Noninterventionist |
Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul, two absolute legends, have been by far the two biggest influences on my political thought over the past three decades. So much so that when considering an issue, I often run an intellectual exercise to consider what both those men would think about it, then weigh that heavily into my own calculation before weighing in myself.
So far, being correct on positions with the aid of those two men has been pretty easy. Being against the Iraq war and other interventions in the Middle East, like both Buchanan and Paul, is an obvious choice that has been proven right time and time again. Having a proper understanding of how the wrong monetary policies can destroy economies and nations, as Paul has taught for decades, is integral to beginning to address the current debt crisis. The fact that demography equals destiny and that the left has been purposefully shifting the demographics of this country away from what used to be a solid white majority is perhaps the most important issue of the last hundred years, and Buchanan has been sounding the alarm since the early 90s.
You might scoff at this, but the fact is, we all stand on the shoulders of giants, and these two giants have been through the fire and have been proven right far more than they have been proven wrong over the years. In my opinion, they have earned that respect and then some. That doesn’t mean I automatically take their position on something without researching further (they wouldn’t always agree with each other!), but it does mean their opinions carry far more weight with me than most.
However, when it came to President Donald Trump’s ordered capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, I will openly admit I was torn. On the one hand, attempts at regime change tend to end in disaster, and despite the........