In the midst of the war of words between Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over who best represents Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy, the late president’s son Michael Reagan has weighed in on Twitter.
“Rand Paul Gets it” Reagan wrote Tuesday, Tweeting the link to Paul’s Breitbart op-ed, “Exclusive–Rand Paul: Stop Warping Reagan’s Foreign Policy.”
Reagan is an author, talk host and adopted son of our 44th president.
Paul’s Breitbart column was a response to Cruz, who said on ABC’s This Week Sunday, “I’m a big fan of Rand Paul. He and I are good friends. But I don’t agree with him on foreign policy.”
Cruz continued, “I think U.S. leadership is critical in the world. And I agree with him that we should be very reluctant to deploy military force abroad. But I think there is a vital role, just as Ronald Reagan did… The United States has a responsibility to defend our values.”
Paul responded in his Breitbart column, “Every Republican likes to think he or she is the next Ronald Reagan. Some who say this do so for lack of their own ideas and agenda. Reagan was a great leader and President. But too often people make him into something he wasn’t in order to serve their own political purposes.”
Paul added that he greatly admired “that Reagan was not rash or reckless with regard to war,” citing his decision to withdraw US soldiers from Beirut in 1983 after the tragic attack on Marines barracks and noted that Republican hawks harshly criticized Reagan’s diplomacy with Russia.
On Monday, Paul told Sean Hannity on Fox News, “I’m not real excited about him mischaracterizing my views and won’t let that pass.”
The Cruz-Paul sparring began over how to best approach the situation regarding Russia and Ukraine.
Wrote Paul at Breitbart, “Reagan also believed in diplomacy and demonstrated a reasoned approach to our nuclear negotiations with the Soviets. Reagan’s shrewd diplomacy would eventually lessen the nuclear arsenals of both countries.”
He added, “There is a time for military action, such as after 9/11. There is a time for diplomacy and the strategic use of soft power, such as now with Russia. Diplomacy requires resolve but also thoughtfulness and intelligence.”
Cruz has called for sanctions and a more aggressive stance by the United States. Paul has also called for sanctions and wrote at Time Monday, “But let me be clear: If I were President, I wouldn’t let Vladimir Putin get away with it.”
Rand Paul won the presidential straw poll at CPAC for the second straight year on Saturday and also won Instapundit’s recent straw poll.
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Originally Posted by Swordsmyth
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