Quantcast
Published On: Sun, Jan 27th, 2013

Rand Paul tells Cincinnati Republicans, ‘We’d attract more young people if we didn’t seem so eager to go to war’

Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul continued to distinguish himself from the ‘hawkishness” of his fellow Senate republicans as he spoke to hundreds of  Cincinnati-area Republicans Saturday, according to a Cincinnati.com report Jan. 26.

Rand Paul official portrait

Senator Rand Paul Photo/United States Senate

While speaking at the Northeast Hamilton County Republican Club’s annual pancake breakfast Saturday, Paul described how the party needs to take a different look at some issues in order to grow in appeal–the party’s war stance was a primary factor.

Noting that in addition to some social issues, the idea of war stood head and shoulders above others. Quoting from the report, Paul said, “Republicans, he said, might attract voters put off by the party’s hawkish image “if we had a less bellicose approach, if we were for a strong defense but a little bit less aggressive defense around the world.”

“If we didn’t have to be everywhere all the time, if maybe we tried to reserve it for when our national interests were impacted or a vital interest of ours was – and if Republicans didn’t seem so eager to go to war – I think we’d attract more young people.”

This of course, is not the first time Senator Paul has expressed a more non-interventionist, anti-war stance than most of his Republican colleagues.

In a June 2012 National Review Online Op-Ed, Paul clearly talked of his disagreements of both President Obama’s and Candidate Romney’s foreign policy views.

In that Op-Ed, Paul disputes Romney’s statement of going to war with Iran unilaterally, without Congressional approval:

Romney’s statement:

I can assure you if I’m president, the Iranians will have no question but that I will be willing to take military action if necessary to prevent them from becoming a nuclear threat to the world. I don’t believe at this stage, therefore, if I’m president that we need to have a war powers approval or special authorization for military force. The president has that capacity now.

Paul’s response:

This is a misreading of the role of the president and Congress in declaring war.

The Constitution clearly states that it is Congress that has the power to declare war, not the president. The War Powers Act also clearly states that U.S. forces are to engage in hostilities only if the circumstances are “pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.”

Absent these criteria, the president has no authority to declare war.

Even if the president believes he has such authority, the War Powers Act goes on to require the president to seek congressional approval within 60 days of conflict.

No president is above the law or above the Constitution.

He has also said he would have voted  for the authorization to use force in Afghanistan but would have voted against the authorization for the use of force in Iraq, during a speech in 2010.

More recently, he demonstrated a clear contrast in foreign policy vision with Florida “Tea Party” Senator and fellow Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, Marco Rubio during the John Kerry hearings last week.

On the topic of President Obama bringing the U.S. into the Libya conflict, Rubio’s and Paul’s thoughts are night and day:

Rubio, who is clearly more aggressive, said, “I was not suggesting that the U.S. should have invaded or put soldiers on the ground,” Rubio said. “We did certain things in the first 48 to 72 hours of that conflict – had we extended that for a couple weeks that conflict would have ended a lot sooner. In hindsight, a shortened conflict there would have certainly led to a government that would have been stronger and less instability than exists now.”

While Paul looked at whether Obama had any constitutional authority to do what he did, “Obama took us to war in Libya without congressional authority, unilaterally,” he said. “I would argue though that the Constitution really has no exceptions for when you are having a tough time or people disagree with you, that you just go ahead and do it.”

 

On the DISPATCH: Headlines  Local  Opinion

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd ) [ALL INFO CONFIDENTIAL]

About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

Displaying 9 Comments
Have Your Say
  1. Houston, they don’t know they have a problem – MSNBC (blog) « Contacto Latino News says:

    […] key in debt ceiling increase Washington Times Rand Paul tells Cincinnati Republicans, ‘We’d attract more young people if we … The Global Dispatch RealClearPolitics all 206 news […]

  2. Houston, they don’t know they have a problem – MSNBC (blog) says:

    […] up heat on GOPAlbany Times UnionGOP should look in mirrorWorcester TelegramNewHampshire.com -The Global Dispatch -Watertown Public Opinionall 205 news […]

  3. Hillary Clinton on 60 Minutes: No tea leaves to be read for 2016 – CBS News says:

    […] in [Charlotte, N.C.] for their first big …Conservatives up heat on GOPAlbany Times UnionRand Paul tells Cincinnati Republicans, 'We'd attract more young people if we …The Global DispatchRyan says deep budget cuts likely unavoidableWatertown Public Opinionall 205 news […]

  4. Republicans Bristle at Obama’s New Roster – Wall Street Journal « Contacto Latino News says:

    […] Listen to Rubio Politico (blog) GOP should look in mirror Worcester Telegram The Global Dispatch -RealClearPolitics -On Top Magazine all 202 news […]

  5. XUSIE » Republican Electoral College Scheme Stirs Controversy – Huffington Post says:

    […] of 2012 …NOLA.comNewt: Listen to RubioPolitico (blog)The Atlantic -The Advocate -The Global Dispatchall 31 news […]

  6. Immigration Reform: Lawmakers See Overhaul Of Immigration System Clearing … – Huffington Post says:

    […] of 2012 …NOLA.comNewt: Listen to RubioPolitico (blog)The Atlantic -The Advocate -The Global Dispatchall 31 news […]

  7. Gingrich: Republicans “clearly have to change” – CBS News says:

    […] to RubioPolitico (blog)What Should the Republican Party Stand For?The AtlanticThe Advocate -The Global Dispatch -Concord Monitorall 30 news […]

  8. XUSIE » Gingrich: Republicans “clearly have to change” – CBS News says:

    […] to RubioPolitico (blog)What Should the Republican Party Stand For?The AtlanticThe Advocate -The Global Dispatch -Concord Monitorall 30 news […]

  9. Terrymac says:

    About half of GOP voters agree with Rand; we need a much less interventionist approach. When are the GOP elites going to get with the program? There’s a clear generational divide; the GOP needs to figure out what it will do when the old fogey worshippers of Mars, God of War, finally die off.

Leave a comment

XHTML: You can use these html tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

like_us_on_facebook

 

The Global Dispatch Facebook page- click here

Movie News Facebook page - click here

Television News Facebook page - click here

Weird News Facebook page - click here 

DISPATCH RADIO

dispatch_radio

THE BRANDON JONES SHOW

brandon_jones_show-logo

Archives