Ron Paul Excuses Bradley Manning's Alleged Treason
COMMENTARY | A video of Rep. Ron Paul, a candidate for president, praising Bradley Manning as a patriot and a hero, is circulating around the Internet. It shows how Paul regards espionage, treason, and the protection of classified documents.
Manning was a U.S. Army soldier who is accused of grabbing classified documents wholesale and leaking them to Wikileaks' Julian Assange. Assange has published these documents, which have proven to be damaging to American national security and embarrassing to American government officials.
Manning is therefore accused of treason and espionage. He is therefore a curious person for Paul, who proposes to be president of the United States, to praise as a whistle blower and a practitioner of civil disobedience.
Paul's motives for praising Manning, if not the wisdom of his doing so, are obvious. Paul opposes the war on terror. He believes that the United States should not engage in any foreign wars. He has even suggested that America brought the 9/11 on itself because of its military presence of operations in the Middle East.
Praising Manning as a self-sacrificing patriot is certainly worthy of a street corner demagogue or an Internet ranter. It is not something that recommends someone to be president or indeed to inhabit any office of truth. One has to ask the question of Paul: If he tolerates alleged treason and espionage from Manning, in what other circumstances would be approve of those things? It is not a frivolous question for someone who proposes to be Commander in Chief.
Paul has gotten a lot of undeserved popularity due to his libertarian views on domestic issues. But his isolationist stance toward foreign policy, noting the harsh realities of the 21st century, is a disqualifier for his being president. The fact that he also excuses law-breaking as long as it would seem to advance his foreign policy beliefs is another disqualifier on top of that.
The oath of office for president requires him to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Article 3 Section 3 defines treason as, "--levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." By excusing Manning's alleged treason, Paul has proven that he is incapable of adhering to the oath of the office he aspires to.
Sources: Congressman Ron Paul calls Wikileaks & Bradely Manning Heros, Wikileaks, YouTube, Jan 13, 2011
Bradley Manning Topics Page, New York Daily News
Ron Paul on WAR on TERROR, YouTube, July 1, 2010
Ron Paul Campaign Ad: End Foreign Wars, YouTube, Oct 21, 2011
Ron Paul: Flawed policies helped lead to 9/11, Lucy Madison, CBS News, Nov. 20, 2011
Presidential Oath of Office, President of the United States Homepage
United States Constitution
Published by Mark Whittington
Mark R. Whittington is a writer residing in Houston, Texas. He is the author of The Last Moonwalker, Children of Apollo, Dark Sanction, and Nocturne. He has written numerous articles, some for the Washington... View profile
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3 Comments
Post a CommentWhy are you all supporting corrupt things done by the government that was exposed by Bradley Manning ? Is that what you guys like , corruption in government. Let it stay hidden ?
BRADLEY MANNING IS A HERO! FREE BRADLEY MANNING!
Whats funny is Ron Paul is supporting someone who made the truth know to the people of this here country... and that's unconstitutional in your views Mark? I'd tell you how i feel about that but i think u can read between the lines.