United Liberty

When I scanned the front page of the local paper here in St. Paul, Minnesota, something stuck out to me (and no it was not the headline about the devastating loss the Vikings suffered last night).  An article written by Rick Montgomery titled Poll: More Americans want U.S. to ‘mind its own business’ immediately grabbed my attention, especially the sub-title “Rising isolationism highest in people younger than 30.”

Of all of Ron Paul’s views, his non-interventionist foreign policy was the hardest for me to grasp. This was partly due to the natural complexity of the issue, but also my own lack of knowledge surrounding the topic. I read Paul’s “A Foreign Policy of Freedom” and was enlightened about some of the more intricate aspects of Paul’s views. He raises some great points and offers an argument that runs so against our current foreign policy that it is hard for an average American to grasp: our foreign policy has made us less safe and more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

What I read in Montgomery’s article was impressive:

To one poll question, roughly half of Americans agreed that the U.S. should “mind its own business internationally” and let others get along on their own. To another question, 44 percent said “we should go our own way” and not worry whether other nations disagree.

Both questions are vague and mean different things to different people, the pollsters concede. But when asked similar questions in 1964, not even one in five Americans thought going it alone or staying out were good ideas.

Iraq Veterans Against the War placed it’s first major network television commercial on NBC, just after Obama was sworn into office. According to IVAW, all of the production services were donated by various organizations and members from across the country put together a huge effort to get this 30 second TV spot in major metropolitan areas.

Barring a miracle of epic proportions, less than one week from now the nation will choose Sen. Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. But who will this young Senator choose to serve in his cabinet? His choice for Secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury are key decisions that will shape the “Obama Doctrine” and determine whether he governs as a principled leftist, pragmatic leftist, or centrist. While not a perfect candidate, of the names floated thus far, I believe Republican Senator, Chuck Hagel would make the best Secretary of Defense in an Obama Administration.

While it is has been reported on by multiple news organizations for months and its the little secret everyone inside the beltway knows— I still found this interesting. The sitting GOP Leader - President George W. Bush has yet to make a single campaign appearance this year for a federal Republican candidate. While most of us believe the Bush legacy will be tainted in some fashion, this is just another example of to what extent. MSNBC Reports Below: