Paul came into the latest GOP debate rising in the polls, admired by many Republicans in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire for his conservatism on fiscal issues and criticism of big government. He ranks third in many recent polls, close behind Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich
But last Thursday, in the final debate before Iowans vote January 3, the Texas congressman might have crossed a line with Republican voters when he accused his opponents of wanting to follow Iraq with another “useless” war, this time against Iran.
Paul said he would not go to war with Iran even if there was proof the country had developed a nuclear weapon.
“My fear is it’s another Iraq coming,” Paul said. “There’s a lot of war propaganda going on.”
Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, trailing in the polls, seized on that.
“I have never heard a more dangerous answer for American security than the one we just heard from Ron Paul,” Bachmann said.
“The reason why I would say that is because we know without a shadow of a doubt that Iran will take a nuclear weapon. They will use it to wipe our friend Israel off the map, and they would use it against the United States of America.”
Actually that is not known for a certainty. Previously, Bachmann said that President Ahmadi-nejad had announced publicly that he would use a nuclear weapon against Israel and against the United States. Ahmadi-nejad, however, has never said anything even approaching that.
Paul held fast to his argument, warning that “the danger is really us overreacting. You’re trying to dramatize this, that we have to go and treat Iran like we’ve treated Iraq. You cannot solve these problems with war.”
The audience booed Paul, cheering on Bachmann.
Bachmann pointed to a recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency and said it proclaimed that Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear weapon.
Paul countered correctly, “There is no UN report that said that. That is totally wrong on what you just said. That is not true. They produced information that led you to believe that. They have no evidence.”
Paul spokesman Gary Howard said after the debate that Paul’s views will not cost him because voters already know where he stands on foreign policy.
“People know his views, and he’s polling top three,” Howard said. “His support is solid. He doesn’t lose votes once he’s got them.”
Howard said that “people always misconstrue his positions,” and that while Paul is for a strong national defense, he is not in favor of starting wars “out of the blue.”