Gary Johnson opposes intervention in Syria

[mencken]

That's unfortunate. Why do libertarians have to be sane on everything else but foreign policy?

Who cares what this loser thinks?

This is funny coming from a Trump supporter, considering that TRUMP wasn't even able to win the joke Reform Party's nomination in 2000.

Neocons talking about sane foreign policy

I don't count closing our eyes, sticking our fingers in out ears, and pretending that the world's problems don't affect us as "sane foreign policy". Isolationism gave us World War II, and would've given us an all-communist Korea, Iraqi Kuwait, and an Afghanistan still run by the Taliban.

There's nothing wrong about the last three.

We must have extremely different views on what the word "wrong" means.

I will concede you Korea; having the southern half of the peninsula ruled by a dictator at least somewhat receptive to liberal reforms was incontrovertibly better for them than the Kim clan (whether this outcome was worth sixty thousand American lives is a different question). I am a bit puzzled as to why we should be concerned at all with the last two questions: which Arab sheikh should rule a swamp in the Persian Gulf (especially since the United States "providing an answer" to the question is directly to blame for partitioning an oil-rich nation of thirty million people between an Iranian puppet state and a Wahabbist caliphate) and which tribe should rule an area with few natural resources besides opium.

[mencken]

One big argument against destabilizing a dictator is you create a vacuum that can be exploited by terrorists. It's been employed by Rand Paul and Gary Johnson hints at it here. There are other arguments against militarily engaging Daesh but that one doesn't apply.

The issue with intervening against Daesh is not destabilization (unlike prospective intervention against Assad), but an issue of futility. For those short of memory, US forces have twice overthrown a dreadful Sunni-dominated state in Mesopotamia, only to have it reform as soon as they withdraw. What is to prevent such a thing from happening again once US forces expend more blood and treasure to temporarily achieve the 2004/2007 status quo? There are means of enacting a permanent settlement, but liberal democracies lack the political will to use such draconian tactics. Better to let the Russians, who are less squeamish about using traditional methods of warfare, to do the dirty work, even if they are more concerned with securing Assad then fighting Daesh (the lady doth protest too much)

[mencken]

Thank God libertarianism, as an ideology, is totally and completely dead, falling Rand Paul's disastrous campaign.

You are high. The liberty movement continues to grow.

This would've been a joke post even in 2011.

You are not involved in liberty politics so you have no idea what is going on.

I am. We are falling apart. 2016 has been a setback. Not a permanent one, but definitely a set back. Badger isn't wrong.

How are we falling apart?

Have you seen Rand Paul's polling?

I am a bit perplexed as to why you jumped ship from a candidate polling 2% to support a less agreeable candidate also polling 2%.