Time for a Debate

Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation calls for a debate within the conservative movement:

The re-election of President George W. Bush is a victory for conservatives and for America. Senator John Kerry is the most liberal member of the United States Senate. Especially in view of likely Supreme Court vacancies, our country will be far better off with a President who represents what most Americans believe.

However, now that the election is over, it is time for a serious debate within the conservative movement. It is a fact that certain elements within the Bush Administration, the so-called neo-conservatives, have taken America’s foreign policy in directions that are very different from what conservatives have traditionally supported. …

The consequences of the neo-cons’ adventure in Iraq are now all too clear: America is stuck in a guerilla war with no end in sight, our military is stretched too thin to respond to other threats, and our real enemies, non-state organizations such al al-Qaeda, are benefiting from the Arab and Islamic backlash against our occupation of an Islamic country.

In coming months, I intend to work with other conservative leaders to bring about the debate over foreign policy and grand strategy that both our nation and the conservative movement clearly need. What should our foreign policy goals be if we are realists, not utopians? Should our grand strategy be offensive or defensive in a world where non-state, Fourth Generation war is spreading? Is our military oriented toward Fourth Generation war, or are we still focused on war with other states?

I think any new interventions are likely to face much more scrutiny from conservatives than the Iraq war did.