Yesterday I noted that the only thing a majority of Americans want to cut is foreign aid and made this observation:
Even foreign aid is a problem – Israel gets the lion’s share. I wonder how cutting that will go over.
Well Rand Paul has told us what he thinks.
Rand Paul: End foreign aid, including Israel
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul wants to end all foreign assistance, including aid to Israel.
Paul, a Republican newly elected in Kentucky, was on CNN Wednesday outlining where he would cut the $500 billion in government spending he says is critical to sustaining the U.S. economy. His focus was on the departments of energy, education and housing.
Interviewer Wolf Blitzer then asked about foreign assistance, asking if he wanted to end “all foreign aid.” Paul said yes, and Blitzer asked him about aid to Israel.
“Well, I think what you have to do is you have to look,” Paul said. “When you send foreign aid, you actually [send] quite a bit to Israel’s enemies. Islamic nations around Israel get quite a bit of foreign aid, too.
“You have to ask yourself, are we funding an arms race on both sides? I have a lot of sympathy and respect for Israel as a democratic nation, as a, you know, a fountain of peace and a fountain of democracy within the Middle East.”
Blitzer pressed, “End all foreign aid including the foreign aid to Israel as well. Is that right?” he asked.
Paul answered, “Yes.”
Foreign Aid is used more often than not as a bribe – a way to prop up one of our friendly tyrants so they would play nice with our corporations and help us with at least lip service politically. Much of the money frequently ended up in foreign bank accounts so the tyrant could live comfortably after he was forced out of office. Rand Paul, like his father Ron, frequently sounds like a lunatic but at times makes sense:
You have to ask yourself, are we funding an arms race on both sides?
The answer of course is yes and the winner is the US defense industry.
Update
Here’s the video:
This is one of those things that you can think, but man are you in a world of hurt if you say it.
This is not going to make Rand Paul real popular with the Republican Party. It’s difficult enough for the Republicans to claim to be Israel’s best friend when a big chunk of the base is anti-Semitic. This won’t help.
Cross posted at Newshoggers