Republican doves?

Republicans as anti-war candidates challenges belief.

The hawkish consensus on national security that has dominated Republican foreign policy for the last decade is giving way to a more nuanced view, with some presidential candidates expressing a desire to withdraw from Afghanistan as quickly as possible and suggesting that the United States has overreached in Libya. The shift, while incremental so far, appears to mark a separation from a post-Sept. 11 posture in which Republicans were largely united in supporting an aggressive use of American power around the world. A new debate over the costs and benefits of deploying the military reflects the length of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the difficulty of building functional governments and the financial burden at home in a time of extreme fiscal pressure.


The evolution also highlights a renewed streak of isolationism among Republicans, which has been influenced by the rise of the Tea Party movement and a growing sense that the United States can no longer afford to intervene in clashes everywhere.

Not that the Democrats are exempt, but the Republican party has a great tradition of isolationism. Robert Taft a favorite of conservatives in his day was noted for an isolationism so deep-set that he opposed aid to Britain during World War II, and the creation of NATO after the war’s conclusion.” (Justice for all : Earl Warren and the nation he made : Newton, James S., p. 241