Candidates for President (mostly Ron Paul)

Ron Paul looks like a great option. It's about time somebody challenged the GOP to get back to it's base ideals. My only reservation with his was his views on CIA. I can understand doing away with nation building and setting up "democracies," but to do away with it altogether? I agree that we need some foreign policy reform, and that we've got big enough domestic problems that we should deal with. But the agency does so much shit behind the scenes for absolutely zero recognition. They constantly put their lives on the line to be the eyes, ears, and invisible hand of the US abroad. Gathering intelligence so effectively is one of the reasons why we are a super power.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Lord Styphon

Chief among his opponents will be Congress, regardless of which party ends up in control. Since neither party shares the libertarian inclination to dismantle the federal government wholesale, and since Congress is Congress, appropriations bills will be passed that contains funds for things Paul disagrees with. If Paul is serious about his beliefs, he will veto these bills, as well as a great deal more of what Congress passes. Congress will eventually tire of this and vote to override his vetos on a consistent basis. (It's safe to say that Paul's own legislative agenda would be dead on arrival.) It would be the same kind of thing as happened during Andrew Johnson's presidency, and would ultimately end the same way, with Congress victorious. Paul's own ideology would demand such an outcome, even.

He'll have a much more difficult time if the Dems are in control, but either way, he's a congressman now, and I'm sure has a better understanding than any of us as to what he'd need to do in order to get things done. The only reason why he'd really have trouble with the legislative branch as a whole is because he's actually trying to get them to live up to the responsibilities delegated to them by the constitution. For the last 60 years or more, the legislative branch has been passing the buck to the executive. Then when it comes time for election they scream, "don't blame me, blame the president!"

There's nowhere I can't reach.