[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 97 (Friday, July 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CONDEMNING THE RECENT ATTACKS AGAINST THE STATE OF ISRAEL

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 2006

  Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this resolution, 
which I sincerely believe will do more harm than good.
  I do agree with the resolution's condemnation of violence. But I am 
convinced that when we get involved in foreign conflicts and send 
strong messages, such as this resolution will, it ends up expanding the 
war rather than diminishing the conflict, and that ultimately comes 
back to haunt us.
  Madam Speaker, I follow a policy in foreign affairs called non-
interventionism. I do not believe we are making the United States more 
secure when we involve ourselves in conflicts overseas. The 
Constitution really does not authorize us to be the policemen of the 
world, much less to favor one side over another in foreign conflicts. 
It is very clear, reading this resolution objectively, that all the 
terrorists are on one side, and all the victims and the innocents are 
on the other side. I find this unfair, particularly considering the 
significantly higher number of civilian casualties among Lebanese 
civilians. I would rather advocate neutrality rather than picking 
sides, which is what this resolution does.
  Some would say that there is no room to talk about neutrality, as if 
neutrality were a crime. I would suggest there should be room for an 
open mind to consider another type of policy that may save American 
lives.
  I was in Congress in the early 1980s when the U.S. Marines were sent 
into Lebanon, and I came to the Floor before they went, when they went, 
and before they were killed, arguing my case against getting involved 
in that conflict.
  Ronald Reagan, when he sent the troops in, said he would never turn 
tail and run. Then, after the Marines were killed, he had a 
reassessment of the policy. When he wrote his autobiography a few years 
later after leaving the Presidency, he wrote this:

       Perhaps we didn't appreciate fully enough the depth of the 
     hatred and the complexity of the problems that made the 
     Middle East such a jungle. Perhaps the idea of a suicide car 
     bomber committing mass murder to gain instant entry to 
     Paradise was so foreign to our own values and consciousness 
     that it did not create in us the concern for the marines' 
     safety that it should have.
       In the weeks immediately after the bombing, I believe the 
     last thing that we should do was turn tail and leave. Yet the 
     irrationality of Middle Eastern politics forced us to rethink 
     our policy there. If there would be some rethinking of policy 
     before our men die, we would be a lot better off. If that 
     policy had changed towards more of a neutral position and 
     neutrality, those 241 marines would be alive today.

  It is very easy to criticize the Government of Lebanon for not doing 
more about Hezbollah. I object to terrorism committed by Hezbollah 
because I am a strong opponent to all violence on all sides. But I also 
object to the unreasonable accusations that the Government of Lebanon 
has not done enough, when we realize that Israel occupied southern 
Lebanon for 18 years and was not able to neutralize Hezbollah.
  Madam Speaker, there is nothing wrong with considering the fact that 
we don't have to be involved in every single fight. That was the 
conclusion that Ronald Reagan came to, and he was not an enemy of 
Israel. He was a friend of Israel. But he concluded that that is a mess 
over there. Let me just repeat those words that he used. He said, he 
came to the conclusion, ``The irrationality of Middle Eastern politics 
forced us to rethink our policy there.'' I believe these words are 
probably more valid now even than when they were written.

                          ____________________