To avoid entangling alliances has been a maxim of our policy ever since the days of Washington, and its wisdom no one will attempt to dispute.

Buchanan invokes the long-standing American foreign-policy tradition—often traced to George Washington’s Farewell Address—of avoiding permanent political-military commitments with other powers. By calling it a “maxim” and claiming its “wisdom” is beyond dispute, the line functions rhetorically to present nonalignment not as a debatable choice but as settled national doctrine. The phrase “entangling alliances” also signals anxiety that foreign commitments could drag the United States into wars or compromise its independence of judgment. In Buchanan’s usage, the appeal to Washington serves as an argument from authority: it frames restraint and neutrality as patriotic continuity rather than mere expediency.