Ron Paul has blamed U.S. foreign policy for the 9/11 attacks, suggesting that the country’s military action abroad had provoked the wrath of terrorists.
Speaking on CBS television’s “Face The Nation” Sunday, Paul said US intervention overseas was triggering extremists to act because "we don’t like American bombs to be falling on our country,” AFP reports.
"I think there's an influence. That's exactly what the 9/11 Commission said. That's what the DoD (Department of Defense) has said. That's also what the CIA has said. That's what a lot of researchers have said,” Paul explained.
He pointed to the U.S. military's withdrawal from a base in Saudi Arabia shortly after 9/11 as an example of how U.S. policies influence violent actions against America.
However, Paul swiftly dismissed those who inferred that his stance implied the attacks were "America's fault,” reports AFP.
"The average American didn't cause it. But if you have a flawed policy, it may influence it... I'm saying policies have an effect but that's a far cry from blaming America," he said.
"I mean in America, you're supposed to be able to criticize your own government without saying you're un-American and that's what the implication is,” Paul said.
Paul is currently leading the polls in key states, making him the most likely Republican candidate to oust Democratic President Barack Obama from the White House, AFP reports.
He said Sunday that if he became president, he would pull US troops out of bases overseas, believing that defenses like submarines would be sufficiently powerful deterrents.
