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Texas Gov. Rick Perry offered the broad outlines of his foreign policy philosophy at an annual gathering of veterans Monday, telling attendees that he opposes "military adventurism" while also advocating for "taking the fight to the enemy" and decrying indecision by "multi-lateral debating societies" at times of international crisis.
"We must renew our commitment to taking the fight to the enemy wherever they are, before they strike at home. I do not believe that America should fall subject to a foreign policy of military adventurism," he said at the annual convention of Veterans of Foreign Wars in San Antonio. "We should only risk shedding American blood and spending American treasure when our vital interests are threatened."
But Perry -- who did not specifically critique American involvement in the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria, or Libya -- added that while American military leaders should honor and coordinate with allies around the world, too much collaboration with other nations could put U.S. soldiers at risk.
"We must be willing to act when it is time to act," he said to a crescendo of applause during his remarks. "We cannot concede the moral authority of our nation to multi-lateral debating societies. And when our interests are threatened, American soldiers should be led by American commanders."
"I say this because we owe to them and to their loved ones the commitment that any war is led by the country with the most advanced technology and the best training," he added.
The Texas governor, who served in the Air Force and whose father is a World War II veteran, made a special point to laud veterans of the Vietnam War, saying that soliders at that time faced the uncertainty of "not knowing at times when the enemy lurked among them in the civilian population" as well as the dithering of leaders in Washington were "not prepared to win" the conflict.
Perry was invited to speak at the convention in his role as the governor of the state of its host city, San Antonio. He is scheduled to campaign in Oklahoma this afternoon.
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at least he reserves the word enemy for our enemies, not law abiding Americans!
why do i think he's also talking about americans whose politics he don't agree with?? And "treatin em ugly" in Texas??
What a duma$$!!!
I think he reserves the word enemy for anyone that doesn't agree with him. Democracy was founded on debate.
Never ceases to amaze me how the Democrats who want to voice an opinion on here, only know how to name call and bitch...never anything substantial to add or to debate. Obama seems to do the same thing...hmmm.
"Never ceases to amaze me how the Democrats who want to voice an opinion on here, only know how to name call and bitch...never anything substantial to add or to debate."
Actually -- you just described conservatives. Glen Beck is a master at it. Making up facts is NOT adding anything to any debate.
and what have you added, a repetition?
Perry - all of the bad stuff from TX (hot air) and none of the good stuff (oil and associated jobs)
Bam bam-all of the good stuff like....sorry, there is nothing and all the bad stuff like...sorry, not enough time to list all.
other bad stuff from Perry:
fewer people graduate high school in Texas than anywhere in the country
has a higher percentage of people without health insurance than any other state in the country
His supposed job production don't transfer to the US. since most of the states don't have gas/oil..
The state has the most federal workers in it....Going to love his "less federal governement" intervention.
@haggisbingo -- makes no never mind that his state has the largest illegal alien population in the country now does it. If the education is so bad, why does Texas have 10 percent of the Top 100 high schools in the country and two in the Top Ten. Can't help it if the illegals want to quit and work in the fields or deal drugs.
@Don -- apples and oranges. Having workers has nothing to do with keeping the federal government from intruding in our lives. One can work for the federal government and not intervene -- just as the Constitution and out founding fathers intended.
@ben - yes blame on illegals and minororities. The Perry master plan is to get rid of em, I believe. Draggin down the "great" state of Texas they are ...
Indeed they are but no matter, they have to be put in the equation. And you said minorities -- not me.
"minororities"
I'm trying to say it like Archie Bunker ...
dont worry liberals, even if Perry gets in, your ideal society utopia myth will live on. the university of east anglia cover-up, the polar bear on ice flow doctored photos, and latest claims that aliens will attack us for destroying our planet thru global warming are just examples where they got caught lying.
there is enough undiscovered fake data out there to keep the libs crying for American Eagle killing pinwheels and really fast choo choo train subsidies!
No need to worry about Perry,,,,the village idiot ...btw, you his cousin?
mitch like all the other on the vine everyone is a socialist your scare of name your don't understand. To bad the Republican are not of Pres. Eisenhower Republican are country would not be in this mess as we are know. Rich Perry is phony like Bush.
Eisenhower and even Reagan would not be nominated by today's teapublican party. Obama is probably more conservative than Ike and definitely to the right of Nixon. But then -- never confuse a 21st century teapublican with reality.
Somewhere in Texas a village is missing its idiot.
Which country the USA, or Texas, the state that wanted to secede.... What a total piece of crap this guy is.
Oh geez. now Perry's channeling Cheney?
Earlier he was saying Social Security is unc-constitutional, now he's braying on about being just like Cheney!
Let's get this freak off the national stage asap. We don't need Bush/Cheney II on our hands.
Read up people, according to Perry Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional....yet he says he's trying to preserve them for future generations.... Wait, Unconstitutional, yet he want's to preserve.. which is it...
The GOP hasn't brought forth a single candidate with a brain....
If the morons and promoters of lies on here would read his statements in their entirety, they would find that he was referring to the federal government handling those programs and was arguing the points as to what the founding fathers had envisioned -- lets the states handle the general welfare of its citizens and the federal government should not interfere.
@ben,
"lets the states handle the general welfare of its citizens"
great argument for slavery wasn't it? How 'bout Jim Crow?? Them states sure know how to treat um up right now don't they??
It's a little lame when these politicians talk in such broad sweeping generalities. "Take our fight to the enemy." What does that mean? If Perry is President he's going to instantly be responsible for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. These are not fictional places. So he should tell us in detail what exactly he will do there.
"instantly be responsible for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq"
I find that prospect sickening.... How many lives and Trillions were wasted in Iraq again??? And because of a duma$$ from TX. And now some people want an even dummer one!!??
specific policy statements would allow him to be criticized. he's just enjoying the honeymoon period where he just mumbles vague statements that the audience can take however they want to.
His popularity will take a hit when he's forced to actually campaign. he still might be obama, since there is a lot of "anyone but obama" going on (remember that from last election?), but so far he's escaped serious campaigning which is good for him.
More Bu@!$%#!
Another wanna-be Texas cowboy president is not want this country needs right now. Memo to Republican Cons: Better to elect the retarded Bachmann than the deranged Perry.
So that's all good and wonderful and rousing, but it's President Obama who got Bin Laden, President Obama who has turned the tide in Afghanistan, and President Obama who has kept us safe.
Obama didn't get Osama. Seal Team 6 did. All Obama did is give the order when he was told that the people who have been working at for years said they knew where he was.
It was a gutless decision on his part, i.e. it was easy.
"President Obama who has turned the tide in Afghanistan."
WTF?
At least he didn't stand on an aircraft carrier and proclaim 'Mission Accomplished' like that Texan moron!
@Tracy1973
yet you'd be blaming Obama if that mission had failed. You're nothing but a stinking hypocrite!!!
Obama didn't get Osama. Seal Team 6 did. All Obama did is give the order when he was told that the people who have been working at for years said they knew where he was.
Now let me get this straight --- President Obama is in no way responsible for killing Osama BinLaden because it was in the planning stage before he took office. But he is totally responsible for the economy even though it crashed a year before he took office. Is that the way it works???
@ haggisbingo-2225582
"yet you'd be blaming Obama if that mission had failed"
And you know this how boy?
@ Charlie-1915998
"But he is totally responsible for the economy even though it crashed a year before he took office. Is that the way it works???"
No that isn't the way it works. Did you just make that up?...because I never mentioned the economy.
Because the same thing happened to Carter when his mission failed in the desert.
Stinkin hypocrites that can't even give a man a little credit for a job well done...
Your man Bush couldn't even get him in 2 terms and the waste of lives and Trillions of dollars. And, oh yeah, the a$$ declared 'mission accomplished' in the wrong country and crap wasn't accomplished..
Geezus ... stinkin hypocrites make me sick ... you a$$wipes...
over and out
obama gets credit for giving the go ahead to the mission inside a sovereign, barely-ally country. if it went wrong, things could have gone very much downhill. Can you imagine the ramifications if, say, one of the helicopters had crashed in a heavily populated area in a major city in pakistan?
of course, the obama haters won't, or can't, admit that, or don't understand it.
@haggisbingo-2225582
"Your man Bush..."
WTF? How much crap do you guys make up on a daily basis?
Yeah Obama wasn't in the slightest responsible for any of it huh Tracy? He just sat around and watched reruns of "Survivor" while Seal Team 6 did everything with no command from higher up.
You, Tracy, know this because you were there. You're privy to all the details of the strike. You know exactly what everyone's part was on every level of the operation. So you're qualified to say Obama should get none of the credit.
Oh wait. You don't know s**t about what went into it, you're just running your Teapublican mouth.
Did you just make that up?...because I never mentioned the economy.
I see you're too stupid to see the connection. You're a tea party supporter aren't you???
Connection? You are nothing but lying conspiricy lunitic you make up sh*t in a lame attempt to prove a BS point that has no basis in any fact.
BTW the Tea Pary was created and came to be BEFORE Obama took office. When the FIRST stimulus that Bush passed is when it was formed....but don't let this information get in the way of you utter ignorance.
In principle I would agree with what Perry said- make a decision based on American interests, fight to win if you enter a conflict (and have the troop numbers available to back that up), and avoid adventurism.
Personally, I would classify Iraq and Libya as adventurism and Afghanistan as critical to national security. Unfortunately, at this point we don't have the slightest idea where Perry stands on any of this- at least not yet.
This is the guy who ignores international law. If he is elected he will have us in a brand new war by his second year in office. When are we going to stop voting for warmongers like this?
?
There should be a constitutional amendment that requires the children (all of them) of politicians in federal office (congress and presidency) to serve on the front lines of every war their mothers and fathers get us into.
They have squandered 10's of thousands of lives fighting wars that serve no purpose other than lining their puppet masters wallets and nothing about protecting this nation of ours. If we are attacked we have to return the favor, I am not disputing that however it is sick to watch our military die for political egos'.
We had one USAFR deserter from Texas as supreme court elected president already, just how much is enough!?
We have had no vital interest threatened since the second world war. The one exception may be 911 and we could have settled that in one month.
Bush: Lives and trillions wasted in Iraq. Economy decimated. Can you believe the schmucks that want to get more of that but most probably worse!!??
how would we have "settled" 9/11 in one month? Nuke afghanistan and kill ten million innocent women and children ? (in a loving and christian way of course).
Is it "F Y'all, got mine"?
No wait, that's his DOMESTIC policy platform, never mind.
It is funny that this TEXAS Turkey foreign policy consists of the State of TEXAS [Hopefully still an American state] and it's foreign limitations mean any thing outside of Austin but still within the boundaries of the state of Texas.Maybe his ventures to see unamed people for fun and whatever counts as foreign policy as long as it takes place within the Texas State boundaries. Wonder what is in the Water in Texas, there appears to be a never ending supply of STUPIDITY. Their really is a country outside of the Texas boundaries with people that can rationnally evaluate the value and logical sense of the people of Texas. They will decide who has the ability to run this country,not relatives of the candidates.
Perry sounds like he was a member of the same air force that only let GW fly up and down the Rio Grande river because they knew that sooner or later he would be bound to find out where he started from get home for dinner.
Didn't "taking the fight to the enemy" get us into our current state of affairs? Wait, no, I forgot that Obama started the two wars before his term.
Perry is talking in platitudes. The only thing of substance is his anti-United Nations statement. That will solidify the right wing, extremist, fanatics and unify those opposed to them. Perry has further torn the Republican Party apart. He has clearly come down on the side of Dick Cheney and against Colin Powell and Condi Rice. The Democrats will win the 2012 elections with the largest landslide in American history.
Remember George W.Bush is an intellectual Rick Perry.Yip,yip yahoo.
Another power-mad right-wing megalomaniac ready to send young Americans to their deaths in a futile attempt to conquer a concept.
You can't fight "terror," only people.
You can't declare war on a people, only a physical country.
You can't make people like you because you have the biggest, most expensive gun in the bar.
You can't make right-wingers understand that violence does not accomplish anything lasting. Carry laws do not stop crime. Preemptive, illegal wars do not stop ideologies. Subjugating a people to your will - inside and outside the United States - only drives the hatred and fear the right-wingers thrive upon.
The liberals and the White House sure are afraid of Perry. Just go back and read all the prejudice comments from those that claim they don't like prejudice people....It is so typical of liberals to put down exactly what they thensevles do.
Concluding anything from comments here about anyone but the person posting them in stupid. But you go on attacking tens of millions of liberals based on some random comments from anonymous people in this blog if it makes you feel good about yourself. :)
Really. I guess you also believe Rahael Maddow, Ed Shultz, Lawrence O' Donald Duck and Chris Mathews are objective reporters. Yes, the White House is afraid of Perry. They better be....
They're not even slightly "afraid" of this corporate shill dufus.
Billions can buy you all the attack ads you want. The majority of Americans remember the last 11 years. We want Obama to finish cleaning up the mess. Not to elect another dimwit violent temper tantrum throwing toddler to start another decade long war. Libya's over already, at the cost of one day worth of Iraq funds. If we have to be involved anywhere the Obama approach works much much much better.
Rick Perry will run his course just as Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, and all the other wanna be's who have jumped in and made fools of themselves.........the best thing we can do as Democrats is to let him. I do agree his YUK factor is way up there though
Keep thinking that and pass it on to our liberal friends....Rick Perry will run his course......go ahead underestimate him.....
He wanted Texas to secede from the US just a few short years ago. Real patriot, that Perry.
Wait, Tony...before you claimed we were all scared of Perry, but now you're warning us not to be so dismissive of him? I think you just want to be contrary to any statement made by what you label as a leftie. Sounds like you don't have many solid thoughts of your own there, pal.
Oh, and PS.. you said (sarcastically) that we "believe Rahael Maddow, Ed Shultz, Lawrence O' Donald Duck and Chris Mathews are objective reporters." No, Tony, we know they are rather subjective pundits. That is the difference between Fox News watchers and the rest of the world. We can tell the difference between someone offering a viewpoint (pundit) versus someone who (should be) offering a fact (reporter).
Anyone wonder why no Republican candidate can get more than 29% approval rating?Huntsman is the only one with any common sense and I thing he is too ashamed to open his mouth,for fear of being associated with the rest.
It is the primaries....... that is why.....