The U.S. elections are a media circus at the best of times, but the Republican race to find a presidential hopeful who can defeat Barack Obama has taken a surreal turn.
Candidates are desperately trying to differentiate themselves from the pack by launching wild accusations about their opposition and generally behaving badly.
And then there are the extreme views, notably against Muslims, and great pandering to grab Jewish votes in a way that should make all sensible Jews squirm.
With Michelle Bachman and Herman Cain out of the Republican presidential race, you would have thought that the loonies are weeded out and a sensible debate can commence.
No chance.
Republican Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, who came within eight votes of defeating favourite Mitt Romney, has emerged as a fairly entrenched Islamophobe.
His anti-Islam comments at an event in 2008, has been doing the rounds on the Internet:
"Look at Europe. Europe is on the way to losing. The most popular male name in Belgium -- Mohammad. It's the fifth most popular name in France among boys. They are losing because they are not having children, they have no faith, they have nothing to counteract it. They are balkanizing Islam, but that's exactly what they want. And they're creating an opportunity for the creation of Eurabia, or Euristan in the future...Europe will not be in this battle with us. Because there will be no Europe left to fight."
Of course, Newt Gingrich, the former speaker and another hopeful, said last month that the Palestinians are an "invented people" - a sad way to secure Jewish votes in the States.
ENTER RON PAUL
But there is hope. The 76-year-old Ron Paul is not your everyday Republican. He has some off-field views which are painted as extreme by the mainstream media.
The general consensus is that he is unelectable, given his ideas and world view. Yet, he came a respectable second to Mitt Romney in New Hampshire and third in Iowa, confounding his critics.
Ron Paul has called for closing down the Federal Reserve and a return to the gold standard for the U.S. dollar.
"We have a financial crisis. They know it as much as we do, and they're planning an international answer to this," he told supporters on Wednesday. "You just can't keep printing them forever. ... They're going to have to attempt to restore confidence, but they're going to come up with another paper currency controlled and ruled by the United Nations and the IMF."
He has been accused of being a bigot after it was discovered that newsletters published in his name were racist in nature. Ron Paul has disavowed those newsletters and says he never penned those letters personally, but took 'moral responsibility' as they were published under his name.
More important for the Middle East are his views on America's wars, which he says are distracting and entangling American troops in un-winnable wars, and on the touch subject of Israel.
Equally fascinating are his comments on America's Mideast wars and Israel, which he gave to an Israeli newspaper Al-Haartez. His views are frank and arguably suicidal given that he is running to be a Republican nominee:
"I believe that my opinions have been distorted by those who want to continue America's current role as world policeman, which we don't have the money or manpower to sustain," he told the paper.
"...Our policies of intervention and manipulation in Iran and Iraq and other places have led to unintended consequences and have not made Israel safer. Many in the Jewish community share my opinion, and it's vital for both nations that we continue to have an open dialogue."
Asked by the paper what he meant when he said "Israel should be treated like everybody else" in an interview years ago - Ron Paul stuck to his guns, rather than cowering.
"I think most people in the Middle East and probably in Israel would agree that this was a major factor. That in itself does not make our policies right or wrong. Our policies need to be discussed on their own merits, but as a matter of course, yes, our support of Israel has made us enemies.
"Other U.S. policies, such as our stationing of troops in Saudi Arabia and our support for repressive regimes in the region, also play a role in hostilities to the U.S. Those in the Arab world who object to the U.S.' support for dictatorships and to our military presence there often see Israel as the agent of the U.S. Thus, not only do Israel's relations with the U.S. cause some negative feelings toward America, but they further Arab hostility toward Israel, which is one reason why Israel would be better off without U.S. aid."
He has touched a chord with the youth of the country and is a big hit in social media. His detractors, though, say young people are attracted to his message as he wants to decriminalise marijuana.
But there are greater forces at play rather than the lure of drugs.
The significance of a U.S. presidential hopeful with such extreme views on Israel are a sign of the changing times.
Although the mainstream media had ignored Ron Paul for much of last year, his rise suggests that Americans are - slowly but surely - re-examining the U.S. obsession with the Middle East and their relationship with Israel.
There is a good chance that Ron Paul will not become the Republican nominee, although many argue that he could potentially run as an independent. But what he has done has introduced into mainstream debate his views on Israel, Middle East wars and monetary policy. That's a massive step forward for the United States, and may signify a turning point in its MidEast policy at some point in the not-to-distant future.
alifarabia.com 2012
