Conflicted Libertarian

I do not often read Ann Coulter.  She was critical of conservative lawyers several months ago on basic interrogation rights and I had to call her out.  No word on how she felt about my criticism. 

But I could not miss this column:  Bill Kristol must resign.  I agree.  He ought to leave the conservative movement.  He once read those unwilling to attack a nation who did not attack us in 1999 out of the conservative movement on national television.  That’s fine; I’ll be a Ron Paul libertarian.  (I’m having more fun!) 

But Coulter writes some great truths:

But now I hear it is the official policy of the Republican Party to be for all wars, irrespective of our national interest.

That about covers recent history pretty well, doesn’t it?  Coulter also alluded to Kristol’s support for McCain:

Also, John McCain. Kristol was an early backer of McCain for president — and look how great that turned out!

Coulter also accused Kristol of being for amnesty and the National Greatness Project:

Of course, if Kristol is writing the rules for being a Republican, we’re all going to have to get on board for amnesty and a “National Greatness Project,” too – other Kristol ideas for the Republican Party. 

National Greatness is another way of saying intervention in wars that are none of our business  Adam Garfinkle says it well at FPRI:

As to the formula, it is weighted heavily toward America’s role in the world. And in that domain we are told that the defense budget is too small, even though it is larger than the next dozen such budgets in the world combined. We are told that America is becoming isolationist despite the fact that since 1992 U.S. military forces have maintained a higher operational tempo than at any time in American history short of civil or world war— and we have forces stationed semi-permanently in 19 foreign countries. We must do more, we are told: get tough with China and Russia; get still tougher with proliferators; save Kosovo and Bosnia and Haiti and Burma and Rwanda; aggressively open foreign markets to our notion of rational, transparent, IMF-approved capitalism; and more, much more, besides.

Coulter says it:  Time for Kristol to quit. 

Inasmuch as demanding resignations is another new Republican position, here’s mine: Bill Kristol and Liz Cheney must resign immediately.

I strongly suspect there is a fair amount of sarcasm in Coulter’s article.  She’s a pro at it.  But great truths can be hidden in good sarcasm:

Nonetheless, Bill Kristol and Liz Cheney have demanded that Steele resign as head of the RNC for saying Afghanistan is now Obama’s war — and a badly thought-out one at that. (Didn’t liberals warn us that neoconservatives want permanent war?)

I thought the irreducible requirements of Republicanism were being for life, small government and a strong national defense, but I guess permanent war is on the platter now, too.

It wasn’t liberals that warned us about unnecessary preemptive goody-goody wars.  Ron Paul did too.  He was laughed at and cheated out of votes and delegates in 2008.  But who’s having the last laugh?  I see tea parties everywhere and Ron Paul ideas on the march.  Be encouraged!  We’re winning!