Republican?

Did you know there was a Republican debate last week? Not many people did.
I was not able to see it, because I'm too cheap to pay for cable (yes, I live in the dark ages).

But it does make one ponder: Can Republicans debate when they all think alike?

So, what was there to debate about?

Well, apparently there is a candidate from Texas by the name of Ron Paul. He got into a verbal exchange with Rudy Guiliani about the causes of 911.

So, I googled "Ron Paul" just to see where he stands on the issues.

I was surprised. Horrified, really. I agree with him on a lot of issues. Wait. Did I just blog that I agree with a Republican??!!

Here are some of the issues with which we agree:

1. He voted against the War.
2. He voted against the Patriot Act.
3. He voted no against a Constitutional Amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
4. He voted no against a Constitutional Amendment to ban flag desecration.
5. He voted no on banning physician assisted suicide.
6. He opposes federal participation in the "drug war" deeming it ineffective.
7. He is in favor of legalizing medical marijuana.
8. He is in favor of lifting the ban on industrial hemp.
9. He voted no on speeding up approval of forest thinning projects.
10. He takes a tough stance on immigration.
11. He wants to abolish the IRS and income taxes.

But, he does have some drawbacks:

1. He is very pro gun rights.
2. He voted no on implementation of Kyoto protocol.
3. He voted no on prohibiting oil drilling and development in ANWR.
4. He would be in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade by having each state make their own laws governing abortion.
5. He voted yes to ban gay adoption.
6. He would like to abolish Medicare entitlements and again, leave it to the states to decide.
7. He supports a Constitutional Amendment for school prayer.
8. He is against the death penalty.
9. He is against embryonic stem cell research.
10. He voted no on campaign finance reform.
11. He is in favor of impeaching GWB. OK, I made that one up. That wouldn't be a drawback either.

What am I to do?

I really like his position on the Iraq War. He makes a lot of sense and seems to understand what we really need is a complete change in our foreign policy.

He has gone so far as to say military aggressiveness weakens our national security. No other politician is saying that. Republican or Democrat.

But, could I really, truly ever cast a vote for a (gulp) conservative Republican? One from Texas, no less? And could I ever admit it? Would my friends and family ever speak to me again?

2008 is a long time from now. Plenty of time to make a decision.