by Patrick Appel
Friedersdorf replies to critics of Ron Paul by citing Paul's civil liberties record. Adam Serwer is unimpressed:
Is Paul going to unilaterally end the War on Drugs? I could imagine him being better than Obama in terms of things like not raiding medical marijuana dispenseries, but he can't change federal law without Congress, which couldn't even bring itself to completely repeal the crack/powder cocaine disparity. Take a look at how ICE reacted to Obama telling them to focus on deporting criminals instead of teenager and sick people, and you can get an inkling of the institutional backlash should Paul try to stop enforcement of federal drug laws. Is he going to stop state police from enforcing draconian drug laws in the states? Of course not, because he wants to leave them alone. Ending the War on Drugs is going to take more than a president, it's going to take a nationwide shift in public policy, one that seems to be occurring already but will take time to come to fruition.
In related commentary, Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry's Ron Paul fears are close to mine.
The Dish 