We should have used Ron Paul's idea to go after al-Qaeda instead of fighting a dumb war

Former Republican Congressman Ron Paul voted for the U.S. to go after the Taliban after 9/11 because that group was harboring al-Qaeda, who had attacked the U.S. After that mission was accomplished fairly quickly, Paul spent the next twenty years wondering why America was still in an unwinnable war with no clear mission in a faraway land.

But Ron Paul also had another idea after 9/11. Titled the "September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001," Rep. Paul introduced a bill that would give congressional authority to hire private individuals or entities “to seize outside the geographic boundaries of the United States and its territories the person and property of Osama bin Laden, of any al Qaeda co-conspirator, and of any conspirator with Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda who are responsible for the air piratical aggressions and depredations perpetrated upon the United States of America on September 11, 2001.”

It got no traction. Paul was mocked for it. Politico called it "wacky."

After 9/11, @RonPaul advised targeted pursuit of Bin Laden & Al Qaeda through the issuance of letters of Marque and Reprisal, a constitutional power granted to Congress but rarely used.

— Eric Brakey (@SenatorBrakey) August 27, 2021

You know what's wacky? Spending trillions of dollars and sacrificing so many lives to fight a war that has left the U.S. and Afghanistan worse off than before. What is wacky is trying to punish the Taliban but instead rewarding them with full control of their country again and billions in U.S. weapons to maintain their power.

For 20 years. THAT's wacky.

No, instead we could have sent special forces or private contractors to hunt down specific members of al-Qaeda and brought them to justice for far less money and suffering. As Ron Paul said of the Afghanistan war ending according to The Hill's Eric Brakey, “How could the US war machine and all its allied profiteers make their billions if we didn’t put on a massive war?”

We should have listened to Ron Paul. Just put that last sentence on repeat for most things.