[iggymcfly]

1. On the "he can't win" thing, point out that no pro-war Republican can possibly win the election. 70% of the country is against the war in Iraq and they'll vote for the perceived anti-war candidate no matter what. (Even if in Hillary's case, she's going to do zero to actually end anything.) Say that Ron Paul's the only candidate who can actually win.

2. The second one's harder since she's so far off-base that she might be hard to straighten out. I think you might have to actually explain some things in-depth. Point out that the other Republican candidates are in favor of basically starting a war in Iran. If the United States (eventually) ends up occupying another country, it will spread the military to its absolute breaking point, making Americans less safe, and will also bring hatred of the US to record levels in the Muslim world. Point out that ideologies such as that of the Chinese are much more opposed to Islam than our own, but that we're hated due to our military industrial complex.

Say the only way we'll ever be safe is if we withdraw from these foreign entanglements and focus on protecting our own citizens. If you're committed to your views, and you spend enough time confidently repeating something rational, you can usually sway someone who just builds their views on what they see in the media. This doesn't work on an average person since you never get enough time, but on someone who you're close to, as soon as you get more time talking to them than they've had time watching the television, you can usually change their views.