Grew up Irish-Catholic outside of Boston so I was, like everyone, a Kennedy Democrat. When I went to college in 1981 I saw what "progressives" were really all about and decided, well THAT is something to stridently oppose!

I guess I'd call myself now a Libertarian Hawk. Gov'ts are, almost always, corrupt, untrustworthy, inept entities governed by non-rational decision-making. I think Jefferson was right. The government which governs least governs best. I more or less now subscribe to the thoughts of Frederic Bastiat on domestic issues. Taking at the point of a gun the labor of one person and handing it to another is simply immoral and unjust.

I have also had the misfortune of spending time with perhaps a dozen Senators and 30-40 Congresscritters who came to raise money during my career in finance. With only a very few exceptions, you wouldn't hire these jokers to run a McDonalds.

In terms of foreign policy I think the notion that there can be such a thing as International Law agreed to among nations as diverse as Liberal Democracies, Islamic Theocracies, Communist Dictatorships, Tyrannical Dictators of various stripes, Military Dictatorships etc is a laughably naive concept. When it comes to international politics it is simply look out for number one. Now when we can act in accordance with both our values and our interests? Great! But if they conflict? Interests must come first.