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DEL.ICIO.USBoortz vs. Barr on Iraq, and Barr-o-metric readings from the blogosphere
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta talk radio provocateur Neal Boortz and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr had a fascinating exchange on Iraq this morning.
The WSB radio host was particularly troubled by Barr’s description of U.S. troops there as an “occupying force.”
I don’t have time to give you a word-for-word transcript, but you can listen to the entire conservative vs. conservative, Libertarian vs. Libertarian discourse here and here.
And if you don’t have time for the audio, here’s a taste of the conversation:
Boortz: “I would call them a liberating force, and I have a problem with someone who refers to these men and women in our armed forces as an occupying force in a foreign country.”
Barr: “Neal, they’ve been there five years now. When do you cross the line from basically protecting a domestic regime over there, propping it so that we provide the security blanket in terms of their economic system, their political system and their security system — I don’t think it’s an insult to the troops. I don’t think it’s an insult to the troops. It’s a fact. We’re occupying the country. We’re basically providing the mechanism whereby the country runs itself.”
Boortz: “Look, there is no time limit on trying to liberate a nation….”
Barr: “That’s what McCain says, too, I guess….There’s no despot or dictator over there. What are we liberating them from?”
Boortz: “Bob, an occupying army does not train the locals to replace them. A liberating army does. An occupying army does not.”
Barr: “I understand that people can argue over the use of a term, but my goal is not to play semantics with it. My goal would be to start very quickly, upon assuming office in January of next year, start reducing our financial and security and military footprint in Iraq.”
It’s also worth taking a stroll through the blogosphere to see what they’re saying about Barr’s announcement this week that he would seek the Libertarian nomination for president.
This is from the Democratic site Riverdaughter:
Both John McCain and Barack Obama could take a hit. Obama is running as a Libertarian Democrat (Oh, he won’t say it out loud but Donna Brazile pretty much admitted as much). There goes the mountain west that Obama was hoping for. Colorado? Nahgahappen.
John McCain will sweep up the Republicans in the fall. They’re mad at him now but whisper sweet tax cuts in their ears and they’ll follow him anywhere. Barr will probably get all of the poor deluded Ron Paul voters.
From a Constitutional Party web site called Ben and Bawb”s Blog:
Barr has some political baggage that might lose him support from libertarians. Barr was one of the GOP’s more strident drug warriors as well as supporting the GOP’s stance against gay marriage. He has since backed off on both.
Another ding on his record is that he voted for the Patriot Act (like just about every other congressman, except Ron Paul), but only after demanding a sunset provision in the bill. He now says he regrets voting for it.
PrezVid has posted a videotaped discourse by Barr on the rise of the “nanny state.”
And Matthew Yglesias on the atlantic.com says this:
Barr, a former wingnutty member of the House GOP leadership, is an unusually credible LP standard-bearer and his biography is well-designed to attract the votes of conservatives who loathe the war and Barack Obama with equal passions.
Photo credits: Rich Addicks/AJC, Rick McKay/Cox Washington bureau
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Comments
By Andy Steinhauser
May 14, 2008 7:03 PM | Link to this
Bob will make an excellent candidate for the White House. He is a no nonsense guy who may bring some sane moments to this race. Good luck and happy hunting you have a lot of friends who will support you.
By DaninMacon
May 14, 2008 7:43 PM | Link to this
Barr will never be president.
By Jo in SoCal
May 14, 2008 8:09 PM | Link to this
I’m a libertarian, but this guy seems to be in it just to take the Ron Paul votes in the event that his supporters can’t “write him in” with it being counted. Ron Paul supporters are loyalists and will likely not go to Barr. Ron Paul has already semi-denounced his interest in Barr’s run and with Barr having voted for the Patriot Act, that’s going to be a deal breaker for a lot of Paul voters. They look that stuff up, you know. In fact, that Patriot Act vote is one of the major factors that keeps a lot of Paul voters from voting for Obama.
By Churchill
May 14, 2008 8:22 PM | Link to this
Ru Paul is an idiot. Barr has lost his mind. These idiotic 3rd party voters are insane. Did they learn nothing from voting for Perot. We are still dealing with the consequences of that debacle, The Cintons.
By hlm
May 15, 2008 2:30 AM | Link to this
It is simply not true that Barr backed off his drug warrior positions and his antigay bigotry. He is still a drug warrior saying the states would be more efficient it at and he wants them to run the war. And he is still against equal rights before the law for gay couples. No changes of substance there. He should go back to the Theopublicans.
By tom ga hunter
May 15, 2008 5:46 AM | Link to this
Bob Barr = NONE OF THE ABOVE.. He is by far the lease bad choice.
By GodHatesTrash
May 15, 2008 6:46 AM | Link to this
Looks like Barr will put some more red states in play - Colorado flips, even Georgia gets a little shaky for insane McCain - he can’t afford to lose the 4-5% that Barr might get…
Even a halfwit like Churchswill is nervous about this…
Trash votes for trash, and Barr splits the trash vote…
By Ron Paul Supporter
May 15, 2008 7:45 AM | Link to this
Smart people will be writing in Ron Paul if he is not printed on the ballot.
Are ya’ll watchin whats going on, and keeping up with this renewed RP surge? We CHALLENGE McCain to some public DEBATES with Ron Paul!!! Is McCain brave enough to do that???
Perhaps in the end Barr will pick RP for his Veep…??? maybe?
By Ron Paul Supporter
May 15, 2008 7:52 AM | Link to this
Oh yeah…
www.DailyPaul.com
www.RonPaul2008.com
www.RonPaulVideos.com
Google: Ron Paul !
the rEVOLution is just beginning!
By BadGracey
May 15, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
Does Bob Barr have a Facebook page?
By gafarmer
May 15, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
And how long have we been in Europe? Five years ain’t squat in a family feud.
By Copyleft
May 15, 2008 10:11 AM | Link to this
Of course we’re an occupying force… and of course Boortz will deny it to his dying breath.
Control the language, control the debate. All demagogues know the importance of quibbling with your opponent’s choice of words, to distract from the issues at hand.
By DeSelby
May 17, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this
I’ve voted Libertarian for over 20 years. If the party is willing to sacrifice their principles and run Bob Barr it will be at least that long before they have my vote again.
By Eric Dondero
May 17, 2008 10:57 PM | Link to this
I’m a Republican, former Mitt Romney & Giuliani supporter. I am very much backing Bob Barr now. I know many disgruntled Republicans who think McCain is too Moderate who will swing to Barr, if he gains the LP nomination.
Finally, the Libertarian Party is smartening up, and entering the mainstream of American politics.
Prediction: Barr as LP nominee means 5 million votes for the Party easy.
By Eric Dondero
May 17, 2008 10:58 PM | Link to this
I’m a Republican, former Mitt Romney & Giuliani supporter. I am very much backing Bob Barr now. I know many disgruntled Republicans who think McCain is too Moderate who will swing to Barr, if he gains the LP nomination.
Finally, the Libertarian Party is smartening up, and entering the mainstream of American politics.
Prediction: Barr as LP nominee means 5 million votes for the Party easy.
By Eric Dondero
May 17, 2008 10:58 PM | Link to this
I’m a Republican, former Mitt Romney & Giuliani supporter. I am very much backing Bob Barr now. I know many disgruntled Republicans who think McCain is too Moderate who will swing to Barr, if he gains the LP nomination.
Finally, the Libertarian Party is smartening up, and entering the mainstream of American politics.
Prediction: Barr as LP nominee means 5 million votes for the Party easy.
By Joe Lawson
May 18, 2008 9:16 PM | Link to this
I am a Ron Paul supporter, and I will be moving to the Barr corner, while at the same time still supporting Ron Paul for the Republican nomination. Bob Barr is already polling at 7% coming into the race nationally. I think Bob Barr can catch fire. The problem with most people, even some of the posters here is that they want an ideologically pure candidate - well you can have that kind of candidate if you want a party about the size of a phone booth. NO NO NO - we want to stop the INSANITY of the two party system. We need to quit worring about petty differences, thats what those in power want us to do is fight over issues rather than looking at the big picture. United we stand, divided we fall, remember?. That was the great thing about the Ron Paul campaign, he united people from the left, the right and the center. If they would have given him the media attention they gave McCain it would have been all over a long time ago.
Anyway, not to worry McCain will never win the Presidency, thats a wasted vote. Would any worthwhile Republican vote for a man that voted for Al Gore and Joe Lieberman in 2000 - I think not. Hello Bob Barr