9/11 row with Giuliani puts Texan in spotlight

Presidential hopeful pushes unorthodox views, draws scrutiny


04:47 AM CDT on Friday, May 25, 2007
By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
tgillman@dallasnews.com

WASHINGTON – Ron Paul, obstetrician, congressman, anti-war Republican – and the only Texan running for president – is getting more attention this week than he's had in years.

A much-replayed confrontation with Rudy Giuliani at last week's GOP debate has given him an opening to push his controversial views, including his stance that America provoked the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by meddling in the Middle East.

But the limelight is also drawing fresh scrutiny of his libertarian beliefs, which put a premium on a hands-off federal government.

Even in his Gulf Coast district, many Republicans have never been comfortable with his iconoclastic ideas, from his anti-war push to his support for impeaching President Bush to his call to end the war on drugs. And in the past week, two people have announced plans to take on Dr. Paul for the House seat he has been elected to 10 times.

The congressman, though, has stayed focused on the Giuliani confrontation.

"It was a tremendous opportunity," Dr. Paul said, "because the real debate is out in the open now. It's the policy of why we're over there and what are the consequences. ... This is something that we've been trying to get their attention for a long time."

During the debate, Mr. Giuliani lit into Dr. Paul for suggesting that decades of U.S. intervention in Middle Eastern politics had set the stage for the Sept. 11 attacks and continues to play into the hands of Islamic terrorists. New York City's former mayor called the assertion an "extraordinary" statement.

"I don't think I've ever heard that before, and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th," Mr. Giuliani said to loud applause.

He asked Dr. Paul to withdraw the remarks.

Far from backpedaling, Dr. Paul said at a news conference Thursday in Washington that Mr. Giuliani was ill-informed, "dedicated to a policy that is hurting America. It's undermining our national defense."

He also passed out "Reading for Rudy," a list of books including The 9/11 Commission Report that he suggested Mr. Giuliani read before any more debates. For backup, he brought along Bush administration critic Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA's efforts to capture Osama bin Laden. Mr. Scheuer wrote one of the books on Dr. Paul's list, Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror.

Responding, the Giuliani campaign said Dr. Paul's claims were reckless and that to "declare Rudy Giuliani needs to be educated on September 11th when millions of people around the world saw him dealing with these terrorist attacks firsthand is just as absurd."

'Dr. No'
Dr. Paul was one of only a half-dozen House Republicans who voted against authorizing the war in Iraq. "Dr. No," as he's known, is often the only Republican bucking his party on a given vote.

The 71-year-old former Air Force flight surgeon has delivered more than 4,000 babies. First elected to Congress in 1976, he served for a decade, ran for Senate, then for president as a Libertarian in 1988. He placed third, drawing about 432,000 votes – one of every 200 cast nationwide.

The Lake Jackson resident is unfazed by the fact he's viewed as a bit of a flake.

"People shouldn't be eliminated from the race as some would suggest, just because history shows that it's a difficult task," he said. "There's a lot of frustration out there, in the Republican Party. There's a lot of frustration in this country with the war and the spending."

Dr. Paul has been trying to capitalize on his anti-war views, though longtime backers know him for a litany of other issues – from returning to the gold standard to ending military commitments to defending Taiwan to scrapping the CIA, Education Department, Social Security and other programs.

"He is definitely not your usual politician," said Kerry Neves, GOP chairman in Galveston County, which makes up nearly a third of Dr. Paul's district.

"I don't consider him a wacko," Mr. Neves added, but "I've heard his take on the gold standard and the Federal Reserve. ... You can see that's not going to fly."

Since last week's debate, local GOP officials have been swamped with calls and e-mails, much of it from voters and activists who hadn't paid much heed to Dr. Paul before. About half, Mr. Neves said, call the congressman's views refreshing. "The other half is, 'Oh my God, who is this guy and how dare he run as a Republican?' "

Two sides
The exposure is a two-edged sword for Dr. Paul, who is running for re-election and for president. It has fueled interest in his views but encouraged rivals.

The day after the South Carolina debate, a former top aide declared he'll run against him in the GOP primary. "My former boss looked like a complete nutcase. ... He was completely unprepared for Giuliani's romping response," Eric Dondero wrote on Redstate.com, a conservative Web site.

Chris Peden, a Republican council member in Friendswood, announced a challenge Thursday. He portrays the incumbent as an ideologue disengaged from ordinary legislative business, to the extent that he failed to support funding boosts for NASA, one of the area's biggest employers.

"Tell me a tax break he's created, a program that he has helped to make smaller," Mr. Peden said. "I don't think he is personally wacko. He's a really nice guy. ...You can say that his opinions are wacko."

Dr. Paul said his detractors tend to be people who "like big government a lot more than I do. ... If they attack me, they're attacking the Constitution. If they attack my foreign policy, they're attacking the advice of the founding fathers and the traditions of the Republican Party."

Dr. Paul has little support in Congress, where few of his fellow Texans were eager to talk about him.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, said they'd worked together on immigration and "it is nice to see a candidate who sticks to his convictions on issues such as this one." It's one area in which Dr. Paul's views jibe with those of mainstream conservatives. He calls for tighter border security and an end to automatic citizenship for the babies of illegal immigrants. He also opposes gun control and prefers low taxes and small government.

"He keeps getting re-elected with pretty big numbers, so he must be doing something right," said Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, who said he sees little of Dr. Paul.

"He doesn't come to our [weekly] lunches very often. ... He's very quiet. Never interacts, never adds anything to the conversation," Mr. Conaway said. "His convictions are deeply held. He's a fellow that I respect. He's very intelligent."

Dr. Paul had such a lock on his district that Democrats didn't even find a nominee in 2004. Last fall, Dr. Paul coasted to a 60 percent-to-40 percent win over Democrat Shane Sklar.

"We may have underestimated the appeal of somebody who simply says what he believes," said Democratic strategist Matt Angle.

Leaning on a stack of books on Middle Eastern history and U.S. foreign policy, Dr. Paul sought Thursday to play up his differences with Mr. Giuliani, the leader in many national GOP polls. Asked whether he could support Mr. Giuliani if he got the Republican nomination, Dr. Paul joked, "No, unless he would read the books and report back to me."