William Tell
08-15-2018, 08:11 AM
Critics of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have long labeled him an “isolationist.” Now he is redirecting their foreign-policy epithet against them.
Fresh from a trip to Russia (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/rand-pauls-russia-trip-is-a-visit-of-peace)to promote diplomacy between the two countries, Paul told reporters Tuesday morning why he went to Moscow and St. Petersburg, and described the letter (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/rand-paul-delivers-trump-letter-to-putin-administration) from President Trump he gave to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Just another indication that we need to figure out a way to normalize our relations with Russia rather than trying to have diplomatic isolationism,” Paul said. “I think that's what many of the neoconservatives in the Republican Party and now some progressives on the Left have become, diplomatic isolationists.”
Most Republicans in Congress remain Russia hawks — “The free world isn't going to sit on the sideline while Putin and his crooked oligarchs try to make the Soviet Union great again,” Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said in a representative statement — and many Democratic lawmakers have moved further in that direction following Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The two countries have also been at odds over Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and support for Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Trump was widely denounced across the political spectrum for seeming too deferential to Putin during a joint press conference in Helsinki, including appearing to credit the Russian president’s denial of electoral meddling (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/trump-dismisses-russian-election-meddling-doesnt-see-any-reason-for-it).
In this context, there is little appetite for talks with Russia. Paul disagrees. "I think it's important that we have dialog between countries that control 90 percent of the nuclear weapons in the world,” he said.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/rand-paul-blasts-foes-as-diplomatic-isolationists
Fresh from a trip to Russia (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/rand-pauls-russia-trip-is-a-visit-of-peace)to promote diplomacy between the two countries, Paul told reporters Tuesday morning why he went to Moscow and St. Petersburg, and described the letter (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/rand-paul-delivers-trump-letter-to-putin-administration) from President Trump he gave to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Just another indication that we need to figure out a way to normalize our relations with Russia rather than trying to have diplomatic isolationism,” Paul said. “I think that's what many of the neoconservatives in the Republican Party and now some progressives on the Left have become, diplomatic isolationists.”
Most Republicans in Congress remain Russia hawks — “The free world isn't going to sit on the sideline while Putin and his crooked oligarchs try to make the Soviet Union great again,” Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said in a representative statement — and many Democratic lawmakers have moved further in that direction following Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The two countries have also been at odds over Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and support for Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Trump was widely denounced across the political spectrum for seeming too deferential to Putin during a joint press conference in Helsinki, including appearing to credit the Russian president’s denial of electoral meddling (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/trump-dismisses-russian-election-meddling-doesnt-see-any-reason-for-it).
In this context, there is little appetite for talks with Russia. Paul disagrees. "I think it's important that we have dialog between countries that control 90 percent of the nuclear weapons in the world,” he said.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/rand-paul-blasts-foes-as-diplomatic-isolationists