While many across the nation heralded Donald Trump’s decisive action regarding Syria’s unwarranted use of chemical weapons, others are decrying the President for what they feel was a colossal foreign policy blunder.
Worse yet, many with libertarian tendencies are lambasting the President for what they feel is a reneging of certain campaign promises that he made during his long and arduous battle with Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
One of those detractors is Rand Paul, a libertarian leading republican who faced off against Trump in the 2016 primaries, and son of freedom-centric folk hero Ron Paul. The younger Paul has been staunchly anti-interventionist as it pertains to utilizing our military around the globe, something he no doubt gleaned from his father, and has taken an opportunity Friday morning to speak out against further involvement in the Syrian conflict.
In an editorial written for Thelibertarianrepublic.com, Rand Paul had the following to say regarding the international incident:
“Every American condemns the atrocities in Syria, and we cannot help but be shaken by the images of innocent women and children dying. It is also true that often in foreign policy, things are not as simple as they appear, and actions often have consequences well beyond the obvious.
“It is for this very reason that the Founders wanted a deliberate, thoughtful foreign policy, and when military action was needed, they wanted it debated and authorized by Congress.
“Make no mistake, no matter who is president or what their party is, it is my firm belief that the president needs congressional authorization for military action, as required by the Constitution. I call on this president to come to Congress for a proper debate over our role in Syria, just as I did in 2013 when President Obama contemplated acting in Syria.
“I believe that nothing about this situation has changed. Military action is not in our national security interest and should not be authorized. Our prior interventions in this region have done nothing to make us safer, and Syria will be no different.
“There is no doubt Assad is a brutal dictator. But if we seek to remove him, we must ask what comes next. Assad is fighting radical Islamic rebels, including large parts of ISIS. Who would take over Syria if Assad is deposed? Experience in Libya tells us chaos could reign, and radical Islamists could control large parts of the country.”
At a time when many are applauding Trump’s decisive action, an action that was also considered publicly by democratic criminal and politician Hillary Clinton earlier in the day, leave it to Rand Paul to remind us that there are consequences for all international actions by the President, no matter the impetus or party affiliation.
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