Ron Paul from "Meet the Press" today: More Good and Bad

first, what I think was a really good answer, re: foreign policy, albeit not one, unfortunately, that a "mainstream" candidate could get away with:

RUSSERT: But it sounds like you think that the problem is Al Qaida -- the problem is the United States, not Al Qaida.

PAUL: No, it's both. It's both. Al Qaida becomes the -- it's sort of like, if you step in a snake pit and you get bit, you know, who caused the trouble, because you stepped in the snake pit or because snakes bite you?

So I think you have to understand both. But why produce the incentive for these violent, vicious thugs to want to come here and kill us?

RUSSERT: Do you think there's an ideological struggle, that Islamic fascists want to take over the world?

PAUL: Oh, I think, some, just like the West is wanting to do that all the time. Look at the way they look at us.

I mean, we're in 130 countries. We have 700 bases. How do you think they propose that to their people and say, "What does America want to do? Are they over here to be nice to us and teach us how to be good democrats?"

but here, defending his sponsorship of earmarks for his district, even though he follows his usual policy and doesn't vote for them, (although he knows everyone else will follow their usual policy and pick up his slack) I didn't find him as convincing:

RUSSERT: When I looked at your record, you talked about big government and how opposed you are to it, but you seem to have a different attitude about your own congressional district.

For example, "Congress decided to send billions of dollars to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Guess how Ron Paul voted.

Quote, "`Is bailing out people that choose to live on the coastline a proper function of the federal government?' he asks."

And you said no. And yet, this: "Paul's current district, which includes Galveston and reaches into the Brazoria County, draws a substantial amount of federal flood insurance payments" -- for your own congressional district.

This is the Houston Chronicle: "Representative Ron Paul has long crusaded against a big central government. But he also represented a congressional district that's consistently among the top in Texas in its reliance on dollars from Washington. In the first nine months of the federal government's 2006 fiscal year, it received more than $4 billion."

And they report, The Wall Street Journal, 65 earmark-targeted projects, $400 million that you have put into congressional bills for your district, which leads us to the Congressional Quarterly. "The Earmark Dossier of Dr. No: There isn't much that Dr. Ron Paul thinks the federal government should do. Apparently, though, earmarks for his district are OK..."

PAUL: (LAUGHTER)

RUSSERT: Paul is the sponsor of no fewer than 10 earmarks in the water resources bill, all benefiting his district: The Gulf Intercoastal Waterway, $32 million; the sunken ship you want to be moved from Freeport Harbor; The Bayou Navigation Channel. They talk about $8 million for shrimp fishermen.

PAUL: You know...

RUSSERT: Why would you load up...

PAUL: You've got it completely wrong. I've never voted for an earmark in my life.

RUSSERT: No, but you put them in the bill.

PAUL: I put them in because I represent people who are asking for some of their money back. But it doesn't cut any spending to vote against an earmark. And the Congress has the responsibility to spend the money.

Why leave the money in the executive branch and let them spend the money?

RUSSERT: Well, that's like saying you voted for it before you voted against it.

PAUL: No -- come on, Tim. That has nothing to do with that.

RUSSERT: You put them in the bill and get the headlights back home...

PAUL: No, I make the request. They're not in the bills.

RUSSERT: ... and then you know it's going to pass Congress and so you don't refuse the money.

PAUL: Well, no, of course not. It's like taking a tax credit. If you have a tax credit -- I'm against the taxes, but I take all my tax credits. I want to get their money back for the people.

RUSSERT: But if you were true to your philosophy, you would say no pork spending in my district.

PAUL: No, no, that's not it. They steal our money. That's like saying that people shouldn't take Social Security money. I don't advocate that.