Presidential candidate Gary Johnson questions US role in Middle East following tragedies
Four dead and three injured forced the Middle East conflict back into the headlines and conversations of millions and millions of Americans. Yemeni terrorists responded to the killing of a “#2 al-Qaeda” operative with a deadly attack to begin the week.
photo/garyjohnson2012.com
Both President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney lead a back and forth between the two major parties, while Libertarian Presidential hopeful Gary Johnson offered a statement and a few questions of his own.
“What U.S. interest is being served by putting our people – and our money – in places where U.S. personnel can be killed by extremists over a video? We launched millions of dollars worth of missiles to bring down Gaddafi, and this is what we get. We hail and encourage the outbreak of an Arab Spring in Egypt, send them billions of dollars we can’t afford, — and our embassy is breached and our flag desecrated.”
The Johnson statement targets the swirling discussions of retaliation and US response to these Embassy attacks. As US warships approach Libya and a FAST Marine Corps is deployed for additional security, the former Arizona Governor questions the endgame.
“The airwaves are filled today with political chest-pounding and calls for decisive action. The most decisive and prudent action we can take today is to stop trying to manage governments and peoples on the other side of the globe who don’t want to be managed, get our people out of impossible situations that have no direct U.S. interest, and immediately stop sending money to regimes who clearly cannot or will not control their own countries,” the Johnson statement says.
Johnson concludes with a purpose, a statement of intent from his Libertarian platform.
“Protecting America with a strong national defense and a rational foreign policy is our leaders’ most basic responsibility. But let us not confuse national security with senseless intervention where our interests are clearly not being served.”
