Gary Johnson could have tucked his tail between his legs and headed back to New Mexico after being denied a chance to participate in the June 13 Republican presidential primary debate. He could have thrown a hissy fit during an editorial board meeting the next day with Foster's Daily Democrat.



Instead he announced the opening this week of a campaign office in Manchester and spent more than a late-afternoon hour with Foster's explaining why he has a shot at winning the GOP nomination.



But such determination is nothing new for Johnson. The former two-term New Mexico governor hails from a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. There he dealt with a stubborn Democratic legislature by issuing an estimated 750 outright vetoes and more than a thousand line-item vetoes.



While Johnson may not have technically had the poll numbers to make the cut for the CNN/WMUR/Union Leader debate, his track record argues he should have been on the stage.



Also arguing that he should have been among the chosen is the depth and breadth of ideas that Johnson brings to the primary campaign.



Of particular note is Johnson's take on the multiple wars the United States is currently fighting.



He opposed going into Iraq for lack of a military threat against the United States, but supported action in Afghanistan because that is where al-Qaida could be found and defeated. As for Libya, he sees no threat leveled against the United States and says he has opposed action there from the beginning.



As to the broader issue of spending scarce United States funds overseas, Johnson opposes foreign aid which he says has been counterproductive.



He makes the argument that by subsidizing the military efforts overseas, the United States has allowed countries there to spend resources to their own benefit elsewhere, especially on health care programs — a topic of hot debate domestically in this presidential election cycle.



Johnson's take on immigration also caught Foster's attention. He questions why the United States would allow foreign students to be educated in our colleges and universities, only to send them home with all they have learned.



Johnson would revamp the work visa program to encourage able-body workers to employ their skills in the United States. He would put the emphasis on work rather than welfare. Once that has been done he would institute a "one strike and you're out of the country" rule for those immigrants who break the law.



Johnson also has an interesting take on U.S. drug laws, which he argues are part of the border problem. He points to the drug cartels which control the drug trade and have killed thousands. Johnson says that if the United States were to legalize marijuana 70 percent of that drug trade would go away.



As the GOP begins the winnowing process for the 2012 presidential election, it is important that many voices be heard in the debate. Moving forward GOP debates should not be exclusive, as was the one on June 13. They should be inclusive of those like Johnson who have ideas and a track records.