at least one breath of truth in the republican debate

In the GOP presidential debate, anti-Iraq War Texas Congressman Ron Paul got something right when he suggested that it was US policies in the Middle East that provoked the attacks of 9/11. Rudy Giuliani was angry about that, but Paul stuck to his guns and said we ignore this fact at our own risk.

As I've said a couple of times before, Ron Paul is right. Al Qaeda's stated top reason for opposing the US isn't some incomprehensible or jealous distaste for our "freedoms" no matter how often de facto President Bush says so. It was because of the ongoing presence of US troops in the Holy Land of Islam - Saudi Arabia. NOT that that makes the attacks of 9/11 or on the USS Cole or on the embassies in East Africa excusable -- they were still despicable acts. But you at least need to understand your enemy and examine his motives. Platitudes like "they hate our freedom" won't protect us nor will they break a terrorist outfit.

Paul is a little extreme in his libertarian views for my taste (he was the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate in 1988). But he deserves major credit for not knuckling under to the Republican party line and for stating what should be obvious -- terrorists don't just attack the US because we have MTV, the right to vote, and shopping malls.