Ron Paul Trounces Santorum on Foreign Policy in CNN Debate

Jake MorphoniosNolan Chart
January 27, 2012

On Thursday night, the four remaining GOP presidential candidates squared off in Jacksonville in the second of two Florida debates, hosted by CNN and moderated by Wolf Blitzer.  While much of the debate time was again wasted on callow rhetoric between neo-con candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, Congressman Ron Paul indoctrinated the audience with principled lessons on liberty and the proper role of government.

Paul showcased his brand of non-interventionist foreign policy in a series of exchanges with former senator Rick Santorum.  These exchanges provided crystal clear contrasts in opposing political philosophies from which voters much choose. Each time that Paul and Santorum sparred over foreign policy, the Texas congressman pummeled the feeble foundations of Santorum’s unprincipled ideologies and tutored his opponents on the basics of the US Constitution (that pesky, outdated thing they would have to swear to uphold if elected president).

Wolf Blitzer addressed the following question to Congressman Paul:

“What would you do as president to more deeply engage in Latin America and, more importantly, to support the governments and political parties that support democracy and free markets?”

To which Paul responded:

“I think free trade is the answer.  Free trade is the answer to a lot of conflicts around the world. And you might add Cuba too.  I think we’d be a lot better off trading with Cuba. But as far as us having a military or financial obligation to go down and dictate what government they should have?  I don’t like that idea.  I would support the people by encouraging free trade and trying to set a standard that countries in Central and South America – or anywhere in the world – would want to emulate.”

“Unfortunately, sometimes we slip up on our standards and we go around the world and we try to force ourselves on others.  I don’t think the nations in Central and South America necessarily want us to come down there and dictate which government they should have.  I believe that with friendship and with trade you can have a strong influence.”

Congressman Paul’s answer reflected both his moral character as well as his deep understanding of constitutional foreign policy as intended by the Founding Fathers.  Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense, is often credited as the original patriot to strongly inject into American politics the notion of non-interventionism.  He argued in Common Sense of the need for the new nation to avoid the formation of alliances with other nations.

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