The more I hear from Ron Paul, the more I want him to go back to east Texas.

From Red State:

One of the more insane claims in Ron Paul’s newsletters was that the Israelis were behind the WTC bombings in 1993.

Here is the claim cited from Ron Paul’s newsletter.

Whether [the 1993 World Trade Center bombing] was a setup by the Israeli Mossad, as a Jewish friend of mine suspects, or was truly a retaliation by the Islamic fundamentalists, matters little.

“A Jewish friend of mine suspects” is not credible reasoning for blaming Israel for the 1993 WTC bombing. I have Jewish friends, too, but if I think something about Israel, I say so, and I don’t try to deflect responsibility for my views on Israel to my Jewish friends. My views on Israel happen to be very positive. If they were negative views, and I wanted to say something shockingly negative about Israel, I think it would be very disrespectful of me to not take complete ownership for my own views and to offer reasoning to back it up. It would be irresponsible, at best, to deflect the responsibility for those troubling views onto the “suspicions” of some anonymous “Jewish friend”. I suppose things like this only make sense to those among us who are not exactly prone to adopting and/or spreading a conspiracy theorist mindset. The only reason to believe something is because it is true. The only reason to profess something is because you yourself believe it to be true because you have been convinced of it by some evidence…particularly if what you believe is something so serious as that Israel is responsible for the 1993 WTC bombing. I have no idea what it is that makes people unable to see that this type of talk against Israel in a claim that Israel is somehow responsible for something so horrific is not recognized as anti-Semitic (demonization of Jews) on its face.

And then, we have this, at the L.A. Times:

Defending himself against charges of isolationism, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul told voters in Iowa on Thursday that western sanctions against Iran are “acts of war” that are likely to lead to an actual war in the Middle East.

I remember in olden times (the Nineties?) many people were upset that Bill Clinton may have, as a youth, protested the American government while on foreign soil. It was a big deal. Remember? My, how times have changed…for the worse. Now, we have a candidate in the Republican primary defending our enemies against our country in a presidential campaign.

Ron Paul claims to be for liberty. He sure has an odd way of showing it in supporting the mullocracy in Iran over the democracy of Israel and over the United States of America.

Meanwhile, Rick Santorum issued a statement today responding to Iran’s saber rattling in which he mentioned his Plan to Stop Iranian Nuclear Aggression.

President Barack Obama naively and cavalierly once declared Iran as a “tiny country” that did not pose a serious threat. However, the report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) now shows that these radical Islamists are on the verge of having a
nuclear weapon.  If Barack Obama has taught us anything, it’s that experience matters. Rick Santorum has that experience – serving 8 years on Senate Armed Services Committee, authoring the Iran Freedom and Support Act and the Syrian Accountability Act. In fact, Rick Santorum has recognized the looming threat of Iran’s nuclear ambitions for nearly a decade – standing tall against both Republicans and Democrats who have discounted and dismissed the reality that this radical theocracy is intent on destroying Israel and western civilization.

Santorum Administration’s Response To Iran:

• Reinstate full funding authorized under the Iran Freedom and Support Act to assist pro-democracy groups within Iran
• Bring greater attention to human rights violations of the Iranian regime against democracy protestors and minority religious groups
• Would work with Israel to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat immediately; and developing a potential plan for military action if needed
• Would work with Israel to determine the proper military response needed to stabilize the region, protect our allies and protect this country – including the authorization of targeted airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 
• Any nuclear scientist proven to be working for Iran’s nuclear program would be treated as an enemy combatant
• Help create Strike Funds to help organizers on the ground publicly protest and overthrow the regime 
• Economically target Iran by sanctioning Iran’s central bank coupled with opening all forms of energy production in the U.S effectively devastating Iran’s only economy
• Ensure Iranian officials cannot access any of their funds by freezing bank accounts and significantly limit their travel by revoking visas
• Refuse to negotiate on any level with the terrorist state of Iran
• Neutralize Iran’s relationships with their primary allies in The Middle East by increasing pressure on Hezbollah and Syria
• Eliminate the post of U.S. Ambassador to Syria
• Stand with Israel as an ally and in any efforts Israel may take to defend themselves from Iranian aggression
• Would push for, fully fund and build a comprehensive missile defense system, and reevaluate the ramifications of the START Treaty
• Authorize more research on the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Threat
• Develop a National Prevention Plan to prevent a severe terrestrial and space emergencies that would take down our information systems or electrical grids

During his time in elected office, Rick Santorum was the national leader and ahead of the curve on identifying and proposing real solutions to deal with the threat of a nuclear Iran:

• Served on the Senate Armed Services Committee for 8 years, where he worked to transform the military from a Cold War force into one prepared to deal with the threats of today and tomorrow;
• Author of the Iran Freedom and Support Act, which imposed real sanctions on the Iranian regime and authorized $100 million in annual funding for pro-democracy movements within Iran; and,
• Author of the Syria Accountability Act to combat the threat Syria posed to Israel.

There is a clear distinction here. Ron Paul wants to blame Israel and defend Iran. Rick Santorum wants to work with Israel and stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Rick Santorum says he trusts Iowans to make the right decision. He has faith in us to do the right thing. I, for one, trust Rick Santorum on this issue. Of course, having Jewish friends, and a Christian friend in Egypt, perhaps I am biased.

Memeorandum thread on this topic.