“I've been called a RINO, a Republican in Name Only,” said former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, who advised Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. “I don’t think I've changed at all. I think the party has moved.”
Speaking on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS on Sunday, Scowcroft certainly sounded different from some of today’s Republicans, suggesting that economic sanctions would be “the most useful thing” to handle the unrest in Syria. Military operations like no fly zones or other assistance “could turn what was an insurrection kind of activity into a civil war,” he said.
Scowcroft didn't seem bothered by the right turn the Republican Party has arguably taken in the last several years, noting that arch conservative Barry Goldwater’s catastrophic loss in the 1964 presidential election caused the party to turn to more moderate candidates, like Ronald Reagan.
“We’re continually reinventing ourselves,” he said.
See all NJ’s Sunday show coverage | Get Sunday show coverage in your inbox
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.


Leave A Comment