By Philip Giraldi View all 18 articles by Philip Giraldi Published 03/04/09  
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"Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means." - President Ronald Reagan One. . . Conservatives believe that war is a "last option" that should only be initiated when there is a direct and imminent threat to the United States. Iran does not currently pose such a threat. "In short, deliberate entry into war commonly brings on consequences disagreeable even to the seeming victors. Prudent statesmen long have known that armed conflict, for all involved, ought to be the last desperate resort, to be entered upon only when all means of diplomacy, conciliation, and compromise have been exhausted." - Russell Kirk "The defense policy of the United States is based on a simple premise: the United States does not start fights. We will never be an aggressor." - Ronald Reagan Two. . . Conservatives believe that diplomacy is the first essential step in managing international crises. The United States has not been engaged in serious bilateral negotiations directly with Iran. "To jaw-jaw is better than to war-war." - Winston Churchill "A soundly conservative foreign policy in the age which is dawning should be neither 'interventionist' nor 'isolationist'; it should be prudent. Its object should not be to secure the triumph everywhere of America's name and manners, under the slogan of 'democratic capitalism,' but instead the preservation of the true national interest, and acceptance of the diversity of economic and political institutions throughout the world." - Russell Kirk Three. . . Conservatives believe in small government and individual liberties. War with Iran will inevitably lead to an increase in the size of federal bureaucracies, most particularly the Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the intelligence services and will lead to calls for greater government intrusion in the lives of all Americans. "If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. . . . Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." - James Madison "In 1969, when I came out of prison as an ex-convict, I had more freedom under parolee supervision than there's available to an average citizen in American right now. . . . God almighty, what have we done to each other?" - Merle Haggard Four. . . Conservatives believe that government should be fiscally responsible. An Iran war would be financed by borrowing even more money than we've already borrowed (primarily from China and Japan) to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, worsening an already untenable burden on future generations. "Unless the Bush Administration abruptly reverses its fiscal and military course, I suggest, the Republican Party must lose its former good repute for frugality, and become the party of profligate expenditure, 'butter and guns.' And public opinion would not long abide that. Nor would America's world influence and America's remaining prosperity." - Russell Kirk Five. . . Conservatives believe that the life of every American is precious. War with Iran would kill more citizen soldiers and sailors and would make the thousands of Americans serving in neighboring Iraq vulnerable. "Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have." - Ronald Reagan Six. . . Conservatives believe in a strong domestic economy, enabling every American to live a decent life. The direct costs of the war coupled with the energy shock from an attack on Iran would have a devastating effect on the cost of living of every American family. "Our country is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and an incessant propaganda of fear." - Douglas MacArthur. Seven. . . Conservatives believe that terrorism is a serious problem and the government must take steps to guarantee that there be no repeat of 9/11. Attacking Iran would unleash terrorism against America and its allies, including most likely new attacks inside the United States. "Battling terrorism must go beyond discovering and disrupting it before it happens and deterring it with retaliation. We need to remove the motivation for it by extricating the United States from ethnic, religious, and historical quarrels that are not ours and which we cannot resolve with any finality." - Pat Buchanan Eight. . . Conservatives believe in a strong dollar as a pillar of the national economy. The dollar is currently at its weakest level ever. Another war in the Middle East would provoke a run on dollars and would weaken it further, perhaps fatally. "The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people." - Ron Paul Nine. . . Conservatives believe that the United States is respected and well-liked around the world when it behaves fairly and peacefully towards all nations, as our first president George Washington recommended in his Farewell Address. Another pre-emptive war would increase the dislike and even hatred of Americans currently felt by people around the world. It would make many countries dangerous destinations for U.S. visitors and inhospitable to American business. "We must find a President who will order a foreign policy of enlightened self-interest supported by a defense system of superior weapons strong enough to deter the most reckless aggressor. Such a foreign policy will make it clear to all the nations of this world that we have no desire to expand our territory or to impose our type of government or our way of life on any other people." - Barry Goldwater Ten. . . Conservatives understand that foreign and defense policy should ultimately benefit the United States and its people. An attack on Iran would not solve outstanding differences between Washington, would not eliminate Tehran's nuclear program, and would only impel Iranians to accelerate their quest for a nuclear weapon, turning a country that is an international pariah into a genuine threat. "America does not need to go abroad in search of monsters to destroy." - John Quincy Adams. "We occupy no countries and we have built no walls to lock our people in. Our commitment to self determination, freedom, and peace is the very soul of America. That commitment is as strong today as it ever was." - Ronald Reagan |
Also by Philip Giraldi:
National Insecurity 01/29/10
Yemen and the War of the Worlds 01/07/10
Obama's New Years Resolutions 01/01/10
Changing the Narrative for War 12/29/09
Five Good Reasons to Avoid a War with Iran 12/07/09
View all 18 articles by Philip Giraldi
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