Resolved: Ron Paul could have been a good President.

First, I would like to note that this is not necessarily a Conservative vs. Libertarian clash. I would consider my self a Libertarian, but that does not mean I support Paul. The assumption that because I do not support Paul means I am not a Libertarian is wrong. I believe whole-heartedly is Free markets, personal liberty and responsibility, and vehemently disagree with progressive principles. Second, I would like to know that my problem with Paul rests not on economical or government spending/size issues. I believe he would be a very positive force on both. My problems lie in Foreign Policy/National Defense, as well as Abortion and other more specific issues. I will have to pick a few topics, seeing as though my space is limited. National Defense This is the biggest single issue I have with Paul. The single largest threat to America's security at the moment is Iran. First I want to look at all the ways Iran is a threat, then I want to look at how Paul is unwilling to acknowledge, and ignorant of, the threat that is Iran. 1. Iran is developing nuclear weapons Ron Paul has said that "there is no evidence to suggest that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, however, there is a mountain of evidnce to suggest otherwise. For example, in a Department of Defense report on Iran's military power, it states " Iran continues to develop technological capabilities applicable to nuclear weapons." (http://www.iranwatch.org...)Some people, including Paul, have stated "Why should'nt Iran have nukes?" () This is easily explained. Iran's leaders, including the president and the Ayatollah, believe in the twelth imam, and that he will only come when the world is engulfed in chaos. They also believe that they can trigger it. As HumanEvents.com states "No wonder,then, Tehran is fanatically comitted to acquiring nuclear weapons" (http://www.humanevents.com...) Also, they have stated on multiple occasions that we, along with Israel, are thier enemies. (http://www.wnd.com...) 2. Iran is training and funding terrorists From Honestreporting.org " Both directly and indirectly, Iran funds, trains and arms groups that share the regime’s stated goal of destroying Israel and the West... These groups include Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Iran also provides support to insurgent groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan which have inflicted casualties on American, British, Australian and other multinational forces." (http://honestreporting.com...) 3. Iran and Venezuela are building a joint missle baseConsidering my previous point about Iran's nuclear program, it would be very worrisome if Iran would have missle bases in close proximity to the United States. From the Daily Caller " On November 25th, the respected German journal Die Welt published a report that Iran and Venezuela agreed on October 19th to build a joint military base. That complex will include medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) like the Shahab-3 (range 1,200 miles) Those weapons will enable Chavez to make missile strikes South America... and, with the Shahab-3, even American cities. Longer-range missiles being developed by Iran will threaten all of the United States when they are installed in Venezuela."( http://dailycaller.com...) 4. Ron Paul denies Iran is a national security threat Seeing as though national security is the most important job of the federal government, it is very important for presidents to acknowledge present dangers to the U.S.. Given my last three points, it is very clear that Iran is a national security threat. But somehow, Paul is ignorant enough to say that Iran is not a national security threat. (http://abcnews.go.com...)Abortion Paul has said that he would'nt support a federal law against abortion, not because he supports abortion, but because it is a "state level issue". (http://ontheissues.org...) If you believe that abortion is murder, and that life is an inaliable right of every human being, why should it be a state issue? This is saying that states also have the choice to legalize murder. Capital Punishment Paul has said that he opposes the death penalty. (Page 32, 'Liberty defined', I will provide an exact quote if requested.) The death penalty has proven to be a strong deterent for crimes "Our results show that capitol punishment has a strong deterrent effect; each execution results, on average, in eighteen fewer murders." Thats from the American Econ and Law Review in 2003. I see that you have already debated FOR the death penalty in a previous debate, so if anyone wants an in-depth debate on that simply refer to that.