[SKINNYPIG]

Ron Paul's foreign policy would be a disaster and if he managed to win the nomination, he would lose an election that should end in a Republican landslide.

The problem with Ron Paul's foreign policy positions is that he assumes that this country's current foreign policy creates the major security threats against us. Our mere existence antagonizes groups like al Qaeda. Our popular culture, our system of government, our religious traditions - everything that we take for granted fuels Muslim religious fanatics' hatred of our nation. Dr. Paul believes that if we just mind our own business, the threat of radical Islam will just disappear. Even the Muslim-friendly Barack Hussein Obama has come to realize that the extreme Pollyanna approach is not an effective national security strategy.

I like most of Dr. Paul's positions but I just do not believe that he is electable. His supporters are very enthusiastic but there are many, many Republicans who would just stay home rather than vote for a libertarian isolationist in 2012 and the poor turn out would kill his election chances. That being said, I will enthusiastically support Ron Paul if he wins the nomination but I don't see it happening and I hope that it doesn't.

I have researched Paul's foreign policy, not in depth, but what he has said lately. To me his view seems to be that we should expect our allies to defend themselves as much as possible. We fund Isreal with billions of dollars a year (that's fine with me) but at the same time we stand over them telling them what they can and cannot do. Isreal could solve their problems with Iran on their own without our nose stuck in it. I firmly believe that if Isreal needed our help, Dr. Paul would give it. As he would with any viable ally. He just doesn't believe we need to stand over top of every one of them while pointing fingers.

I have no idea where every single skirmish we are in around the world is. I don't know where every foreign base is. My own intuition tells me that many of them are not warranted. I also know that at this time, we can't afford them all.

As Commander in Chief, do I think Paul brings ALL the troops home? No. I think he has enough sense to strategically place them to where they protect our own interests and not stuck in places that are nothing more than money pits.

I believe it doesn't matter what we do when it comes to radical Muslims around the world, they will always hate us and want to attack us in some way. If Paul thinks otherwise, he's not thinking.

The big question is, do we have to be postured all over the world in every bodies back yard to protect Americans and our allies? With today's technology and our superior fighting force, maybe not.

The idea of spreading our military thick at home and more thin around the world, while building our economy back, at a time when we are borrowing money for every gallon of fuel and every bullet fired, is beginning to make a little more sense to me. Sometimes you've got to regroup, beef up and get stronger. This may be the time.

This doesn't mean I support Ron Paul and think that his policies are what we need. It simply means he's got me thinking.