from the WSJ
riven to Distraction
Libertarians have some interesting ideas when it comes to social and economic policy, but when it comes to foreign policy, they're often just plain goofy. Here's a quote from Charles Peña, the Cato Institute's director of defense policy studies, on last night's bombings in Saudi Arabia:
"If this latest attack is the work of al Qaeda, it should serve as notice that the United States needs to clear the decks and focus the war on terrorism against al Qaeda. It is absolutely imperative that the United States jettison obsolete or unnecessary commitments, such as 100,000 troops stationed in Western Europe to defend NATO against a non-existent threat, and missions, such as nation-building in the Balkans. Even the U.S. presence in Iraq is a distraction. It is also likely to become, if it has not already, a source for motivating terrorism against the United States and U.S. targets in the region."
Seems to us there were some terrorist attacks against America before we liberated Iraq. The most risible thing about the Cato statement is the complaint about the troops stationed in Western Europe. Now, there is a case to be made for moving some, or even most, of those troops. But they have to be stationed somewhere, and if America followed Cato's advice to "jettison" that commitment immediately, it would face the massive undertaking of moving 100,000 troops all at once. Talk about distractions.
riven to Distraction
Libertarians have some interesting ideas when it comes to social and economic policy, but when it comes to foreign policy, they're often just plain goofy. Here's a quote from Charles Peña, the Cato Institute's director of defense policy studies, on last night's bombings in Saudi Arabia:
"If this latest attack is the work of al Qaeda, it should serve as notice that the United States needs to clear the decks and focus the war on terrorism against al Qaeda. It is absolutely imperative that the United States jettison obsolete or unnecessary commitments, such as 100,000 troops stationed in Western Europe to defend NATO against a non-existent threat, and missions, such as nation-building in the Balkans. Even the U.S. presence in Iraq is a distraction. It is also likely to become, if it has not already, a source for motivating terrorism against the United States and U.S. targets in the region."
Seems to us there were some terrorist attacks against America before we liberated Iraq. The most risible thing about the Cato statement is the complaint about the troops stationed in Western Europe. Now, there is a case to be made for moving some, or even most, of those troops. But they have to be stationed somewhere, and if America followed Cato's advice to "jettison" that commitment immediately, it would face the massive undertaking of moving 100,000 troops all at once. Talk about distractions.
. 
didn't win us any enemies either. Our "World Tour" started with Spain in Cuba (evidence points to coalbunker KaB not enemy action) and proliferated after that. Our interventionist policies brought us WW I, WW II, Korea (which still isn't resolved), 10 years of Vietnam with nothing but a black wall to show for it, Grenada, Panama (a criminal we created), Persian Gulf I (ball dropped at the moment of victory), Somolia (fumbled again), Haiti (put wrong regime back in power), Bosnia (unresolved, indefinite commitment), Kosovo, PG II. 