Ron Paul breaks with GOP on mosque:

[NC_Nurse]

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/23/ron-paul-ny-mosque/

n strongly-worded statement released today, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a tea party favorite and perennial GOP presidential candidate, strongly condemned his “fellow conservatives” for opposing the proposed Park 51 Islamic community center near Ground Zero. The outcry over the mosque “implies that Islam alone was responsible for the 9/11 attacks,” Paul said, explaining that the rights of minorities must be protected, even when it’s unpopular. Ultimately, Paul argues that the opposition to the mosque “is all about hate and Islamaphobia,” stoked by “neo-conservatives” who “never miss a chance to use hatred toward Muslims to rally support for the ill conceived preventative wars:”

[Burma Jones]

1. Well, when he's right, he's right.......

[NeedleCast]

2. I upgrade Ron Paul from Total D-bag to Mostly D-Bag

Gotta admit that's a brave statement considering the current political climate.

[malaise]

3. I've always supported his foreign policy approach

That's his only redeeming quality.

[NC_Nurse]

4. Agreed. And his position on the drug war.

[wtmusic]

7. That would make him a D-Nozzle

Pull him down off his "big-government" horse and he might even siphon off some Dem votes

[LynneSin]

5. Even a broken clock can be right twice a day

go figure

[jberryhill]

6. As if Ron Paul needed a "break" from the GOP

While Paul runs with an (R) after his name, he is hardly any sort of GOP loyalist, and is more of a loon magnet than anything else.

Why his view, right wrong or inscrutable, counts for "news" on DU, I cannot imagine.

Has anyone checked with Lyndon Larouche?

[NC_Nurse]

9. He's the first Repub to break with the party on this bullshit. I like that.

Yeah, he's a nut. But he speaks the truth once in a while. Most Repubs (and many Dems) spend all their time checking the wind direction and then saying whatever they think the public will like.

I have respect for ANYONE that has ANY principles anymore. That's how sad and corrupt our politics has gotten. You have to give credit to some for the smallest display of courage. Pathetic, but true.

[jberryhill]

10. No he's not

Michael Bloomberg (R) has a much larger constituency than Ron Paul, and was waaaay out in front of this.

Others include:

NJ Gov. Chris Christie
Grover Norquist

[NC_Nurse]

13. Oh, yeah, I forgot that Bloomberg's a Repub. I thought he was Independent.

As for the others, they didn't spell it out as well I don't think. Much wimpier. But you're right, Bloomberg was by far the first and best refuter of this crap.

I just hope that maybe since Paul is a hero of the Teabagger brigade he might make a dent in their consciousness. Probably not, but ya never know.

[jberryhill]

15. A thing about teabaggers

Even the teabaggers don't realize how non-monolithic they are. Libertarians, Nutters and Larouchies will hop in wherever fine demagoguery is sold.

So, yeah, you'll find Paulistas among "teabaggers", but they are looking more to co-opt than march along.

[PerpetuallyDazed]

23. Actually, Paulians were the "original" tea-baggers

before the Palin baggers came along...

[sabrina 1]

14. And Ted Olson.

But Ron Paul has always been right about our foreign policy. Before I even knew who he was I found an article he had written about the past 60 years' of U.S. foreign policy called 'What if we were wrong'.

He's good on the drug war also.

And he has a lot of followers on the right who listen to Faux, so maybe this will make a few of them stop and think for once.

[NC_Nurse]

16. I about fell over when I found out Olsen was the part of the team to overturn

Prop 8. I guess there are so few moderate Repubs these days, I forget there are any.

[jberryhill]

18. Sigh... I've given up on trying to explain "what lawyers do"

Whatever you might ascribe to him, Ted Olson is a lawyer.

[NC_Nurse]

21. So? Not all lawyers are on the side of justice and human rights. Many of them

would gladly toss the Constitution aside (or "reinterpret" it), like Yoo, for instance.

[sabrina 1]

20. Yes, that was a huge surprise, but then he followed it with

his very rational statements on the Mosque issue. And considering he too is a family member who lost his wife that day, it did diminish the use of the victims families as a weapon. So good for him.

[MilesColtrane]

8. In other news...Blind Pig Finds Acorn

[Arugula Latte]

11. Every once in awhile he goes sane.

[EnlightenedOne]

12. Wonder what his red-neck son will say

I can't see Rand Paul agreeing with this.

[Ohio Joe]

17. and yet... he is still a racist douchebag - nt

[LAGC]

19. I respect Ron Paul.

In fact, he's about the only Republican I can say that for.

He's about the only Republican to come out staunchly against the failed "war on drugs" (war against our Fourth Amendment rights) and the illegal U.S occupations in the Middle East. I hope he peels more neo-conservatives away from their authoritarian line of thinking.

Dislike him for his abortion stance, his economic stance, or whatever, but give respect where respect is due.

[The Magistrate]

22. Excellent, Ma'am: Should Shave About Four Points Off His Vote Total