W. James Antle: GOP Hawks Gear Up for War on Rand Paul

[jct74]

GOP Hawks Gear Up for War on Rand Paul

W. James Antle III
April 17, 2014

The long knives are out for Rand Paul. The period in which the most hawkish Republicans eyed the junior senator from Kentucky warily is over.

As one GOP bundler told Time, “we’ll be ready to take Paul down.” The money men may not have started yet, but their print-and-pixels auxiliary has already mobilized against him.

The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin warns of an interview that will “haunt” Paul, whom she decried as “far, far out of the mainstream.” Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal decried the senator’s “bark-at-the-moon lunacy about Halliburton” and suggested his nomination would deliver Republicans “another humbling landslide defeat.”

Paul’s critics definitely smell blood in the water with his 2009 comments about Dick Cheney and Halliburton. They’ve already been used not just to link him to his father, but to 9/11 truthers.

There has also been a concerted effort to isolate and marginalize Paul within the party on Iran.

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read more:
http://nationalinterest.org/commenta...0265?page=show

[robertwerden]

They want war, we will give them war.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal...suggested his nomination would deliver Republicans “another humbling landslide defeat.”

What do you want to bet this guy thought McCain and Romney were good choices in 2007 and 2011? McCain is the biggest 'hawk' in the U.S. Senate.

[eleganz]

This is why staying together and fundraising is key. We need to be able to utilize our liberty electoral victories of 2014 to build fundraising capabilities in all 50 states. Enough Rand bashing on foreign policy, we can clearly see that the neocons see right through Rand and know he is a libertarian deep down.

[TomtheTinker]

don't tease me.

[Mr.NoSmile]

Yes, keep as much focus and attention on Paul as possible so more folks are exposed to his ideas. To think that a junior Senator trying to broaden the base is being targeted. You don't see Rubio getting nearly the amount of GOP eyes on him- not for this reason, anyway.

[KCIndy]

The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin warns of an interview that will “haunt” Paul, whom she decried as “far, far out of the mainstream.” Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal decried the senator’s “bark-at-the-moon lunacy about Halliburton” and suggested his nomination would deliver Republicans “another humbling landslide defeat.”

Hmm.

The anti-Paul faction may end having this come back and bite 'em on the ass. I'll bet most of them would be surprised at how many in the general public share (and agree with) some of Rand's “bark-at-the-moon lunacy about Halliburton."