From Eric Dondero:

Ron Paul appeared on Larry King Live on Monday night, along with Co-guests humorist Ben Stein and ironically Rep. Sheila Jackon-Lee of Houston. The subject: The Muslim Christmas Bomber.

Stein has been a longtime favorite of cultural libertarians ever since the iconic 1980s hit movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, where he played the monotonous high school teacher, droning “Bueller… Bueller…”

Stein is a loyal and outspoken Republican. He’s been a contributing editor to libertarian/conservative American Spectator, and a regular free enterprise advocate guest on cable business shows. He now hosts a game show on MTV.

So, it’s especially ironic that libertarian-leaning Republican Stein would be chosen to go up against another individual often identified as “libertarian” Ron Paul. (Praise for Stein from )

The segment quickly turned into a shouting match. Paul called the United States “occupiers,” and blamed the US for Muslim attacks. Stein responded by calling Paul an “anti-Semite.”

Here’s the partial transcript courtesy of PoliticsUSA:

STEIN: Well, that’s — I have never heard anything quite like that in my whole life. What he’s saying, basically, is we are doing something wrong by defending ourselves. Look, if these terrorists are trying to kill the government of Yemen, we’ve got to help defend them. They’re our friends. We can’t just let al Qaeda run wild. If we try to stop them —

PAUL: Why?

STEIN: Why should we stop them? Because they are terrorists and murderers and they’re very anti-American.

PAUL: Why are they terrorists?

STEIN: Surely congressman —

PAUL: Why are they terrorists?

STEIN: They’re terrorists and murders because they are psychos.

Paul also asserted that terrorist AbdulMutallab was motivated by American bombings of terrorist sites in Yemen two weeks ago. However, it’s now being learned that AbdulMutallab and his handlers had planned the terrorist act, at least one month ago. Robert Spencer over at pens this devestating rebuke of Paul’s comments on CNN:

Obama believes essentially the same thing: that the jihad is a response to various actions of the West, which if we stop doing, all will be well. In line with this assumption, Paul apparently thinks that the Flight 253 jihad attack was a response to U.S. airstrikes in Yemen. However, according to an unnamed source in the White House quoted by Jake Tapper at ABC News, the Flight 253 jihadist had set his plot in motion before the airstrike. And it certainly seems that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had his mind on jihad for years.

Additionally, yet another terrorist attack with a virtually identical circumstance – syringe and explosive PETN in the passenger’s underwear – has just been discovered by the media. It occured 3 weeks ago at the airport in Mogadishu, clearly indicating that both attacks were coordinated by Yemeni Al Qaeda.

Since the spat with Stein, Paul has been receiving a great deal of praise and support from mostly 9/11 Truther blogs, Alex Jones sites, and of course, Lew Rockwell and AntiWar.com.

One site in defending Paul, said that Stein was “playing the anti-Semite card,” and noted that Stein:

“is Jewish [and] under psychiatric care.”

Another popular site among Truthers and Anti-Warists, , said the following:

Ron Paul… gets hit with the usual Jew crap… neither of them will say the Jew out loud because they can’t and still get any exposure… The Jew knows the real history and the Jew Question…Phony Al Qaeda CIA/MOSSAD people may have picked-up on this particular idiot Negro [AbdulMutallab]…

why don’t we just pull all our troops back home from the Mideast? Let’s do exactly what Ron Paul says we should. And give Israel the finger while we’re at it. How does that sound, America?

To be clear, Ron Paul is not an Anti-Semite and would abhor such statements. In fact, Stein has since offered a bit of an olive branch, retracting the “Anti-Semite” accusation in a brief editorial at. However, it’s quite alarming that individuals such as the fringe bloggers mentioned above, gain inspiration from Paul’s anti-intervenionist talk to use for their own racist means.

Meanwhile, other more mainstream political sites have come to Stein’s defense. comments:

At least Ben Stein had enough sense to take it to Congressman Paul.

I once was mildly enthused by Congressman Paul now I think he’s gone over the deep end. He does not understand that Islam is the motivation for the attacks on the United States. And anyone who does not realize that puts our lives in danger by seeking to appease these radicals.

The Nation’s #1 Right site hosted by Michelle Malkin and Ed Morrissey, is more succinct:

Ron Paul is a “useful idiot.”

You can see the entire segment of Larry King Live at .

IMPORTANT EDITOR’S NOTE: The views expressed in this article are mine, and do not necessarily reflect the views of all LR contributors and writers.

DISCLOSURE: I worked for Ron Paul on and off for 15 years, first as his Personal Travel Aide in his 1987/88 Libertarian Presidential campaign, then again briefly in 1992, and then as his Campaign Coordinator in 1995/96 for Congress, and finally as his Senior Congressional Aide, and District Policy Advisor, from 1997 – 2003.

(1)
URL: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zm6JXvXXze4/Szv3CIsMSCI/AAAAAAAAJAY/I6w93Mn9Vyo/s1600-h/BenStein.jpg
(2) Libertarian Leanings blog
URL: http://www.libertarianleanings.com/2005/06/ben_stein.html
(3)
URL: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zm6JXvXXze4/SzwOWxAwuEI/AAAAAAAAJAo/06wlVezU9zQ/s1600-h/FerrisBueller.jpg
(4) Jihad Watch
URL: http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/12/ron-paul-theyre-terrorists-because-were-occupiers.html
(5)
URL: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zm6JXvXXze4/SzwOvpJZzyI/AAAAAAAAJAw/XaB9ChQmhCU/s1600-h/RonPaulangry.jpg
(6) JudeoFascism
URL: http://www.judeofascism.com/2009/12/ben-steins-attack-on-ron-paul-another.html
(7) IncogMan
URL: http://incogman.wordpress.com/
(8) American Spectator
URL: http://spectator.org/archives/2009/12/30/a-ron-paul-moment
(9) Blue Collar Blog
URL: http://whyimnotademocrat.blogspot.com/2009/12/ron-paul-calls-us-occupiers.html
(10) HotAir.com
URL: http://hotair.com/archives/2009/12/29/ron-paul-on-the-airline-plot-theyre-terrorists-because-were-occupiers/
(11) YouTube
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFdG4eySIU8&feature=player_embedded