I’ve become a regular listener to Ricochet’s podcasts, and something that got my attention on this week’s installment (which included Jonah) was a discussion about whether we need to reassess the scope of our foreign commitments — as in, why are we still in Germany? The peg was this posting from Ricochet member Kenneth (“member” is the right word; to comment, you have to pay the price of a cup of Starbucks each month to join, presumably to screen out the haters and freaks):
Many of us on the Right – and I believe our numbers are growing – have come to question why, in the post-Cold War era, the United States continues to expend vast amounts on static overseas military deployments. We question, too, the concept of using our precious defense assets on nation building.
Often, when we express our doubts, we are met with dismissive accusations of “isolationism” or accused of wishing to surrender America’s status as the world’s sole superpower.
In the extensive and civilized discussion among members that followed, no one seems to have called anyone else a Nazi, which appears to be a first. And that’s a real accomplishment in this topic in particular, because “isolationist” in this context is often short for “So, you approve of the Holocaust, do you?” On the other side, too many paleocons resort to Zionist conspiracy fantasies to explain our current expansive foreign policy. This is a debate the Right really needs to have, and in a constructive fashion, and kudos to Ricochet for encouraging it.