Rand Paul says Dick Cheney pushed for war for economic reasons

[Captain Obvious]

Cheney pretty much said in his book he had to get Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and Condi to help him steer Bush that way. He seemed proud of it. I would have let Bush take the heat, but I guess Cheney's more evil than I thought.

I hear you, and I would imagine the popular consensus that Cheney was the one running the show was maybe more true than not, but to say his primary reason was micro-economic - I dunno, it sounds too rhetorical.

Plus you're giving them more credit I think than is deserved - I don't think they had any idea how all of it would play out and I expect that the common misconception with the POTUS staff was that this would be a wham-bam engagement.

[Codename Section]

I hear you, and I would imagine the popular consensus that Cheney was the one running the show was maybe more true than not, but to say his primary reason was micro-economic - I dunno, it sounds too rhetorical.

Plus you're giving them more credit I think than is deserved - I don't think they had any idea how all of it would play out and I expect that the common misconception with the POTUS staff was that this would be a wham-bam engagement.

The battle for Baghdad was. It's occupying a country and policing it that's the $#@!. It was their idea to nation build and kept putting marines in positions outside our MOS.

[1751_Texan]

"contractors" = mercs = Blackwater, right?

No. contractors were commericial entities that supported the war effort in more ways than personal security. All service trades were utilized from food service, IT, medical, transpotation, logistics, construction and so on...

[Akula]

The battle for Baghdad was. It's occupying a country and policing it that's the $#@!. It was their idea to nation build and kept putting marines in positions outside our MOS.

Illegally invading a sovereign nation is what's a $#@!.
All those american soldiers wounded and killed for what?
Absolutely nothing. Wasted lives and wasted money.

ooorah..semper fi ....recon leads the way....and all that BS...

[Akula]

No. contractors were commericial entities that supported the war effort in more ways than personal security. All service trades were utilized from food service, IT, medical, transpotation, logistics, construction and so on...

hahahahaha..ok..mercenaries are benign freedom fighters and patriots..LMAO...who don't happen to be obligated to follow the geneva convention or any other rules of warfare preventing atrocities and war crimes..See, they're "deniable" so they can do the stuff our armed forces wouldn't be able to get away with.

"Blackwater" was a "commercial entity", too, by the way...hiding the purpose of mercenaries behind weasel words doesn't always work.

[Captain Obvious]

Rand Paul is grandstanding, btw - it's all part of the act.

[Terminal Lance]

Rand Paul is grandstanding, btw - it's all part of the act.

Great act then because he's been doing it for the last 20 years. Does no one see how the guy votes? Ever since he got in he's been bucking the system.

Tell me, who's doing it better? Who's voting more for "we the people" than he is right now?

[Captain Obvious]

Great act then because he's been doing it for the last 20 years. Does no one see how the guy votes? Ever since he got in he's been bucking the system.

Tell me, who's doing it better? Who's voting more for "we the people" than he is right now?

I get it, the ongoing rhetorical buzzword on Paul with kids nowadays is his voting record.

Tell his campaign manager that his strategy works with this demographic pretty well.

[Chris]

Great act then because he's been doing it for the last 20 years. Does no one see how the guy votes? Ever since he got in he's been bucking the system.

Tell me, who's doing it better? Who's voting more for "we the people" than he is right now?

The question I ask is whether he can, given his libertarian roots and record, reach out rhetorically to a broad enough demographic to win a popular election. I'm an old libertarian who could vote again to support him. And I think he could well reach a more moderate crowd. But can he attract more traditional, more neoconnish (Cheney) conservatives?

[Terminal Lance]

I get it, the ongoing rhetorical buzzword on Paul with kids nowadays is his voting record.

Tell his campaign manager that his strategy works with this demographic pretty well.

I'm in my twenties, but I have 3 combat injuries. I'm not exactly a "kid". I also watch C-SPAN, read Politico, Reason, CNN, BBC, and the Washington Post.

It's ok to disagree with me, but it's not cool to dismiss me like I don't know what I'm talking about or that I'm some "kid" who jumps on bandwagons.