Rand Paul: Lindsey Graham and McCain ‘Lapdogs for Obama’

[jct74]

Rand Paul: Lindsey Graham and McCain ‘Lapdogs for Obama’

by Andrew Kirell | 11:04 am, April 21st, 2015

Rand Paul is not going to take insults from the Republican Party’s hawkish senators lying down. During a Tuesday morning appearance on Fox News, the GOP presidential candidate blasted Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain as “lapdogs” for President Barack Obama‘s policies.

On Monday morning, Sen. Graham told Morning Joe that Paul is “more wrong than right” on foreign policy, and that “even Obama” is stronger than the libertarian-leaning senator when it comes to dealing with threats abroad. The U.S. Senator from South Carolina accused Sen. Paul of wanting to “lead from behind” on global issues. Additionally, Sen. McCain — Graham’s best friend for life — charged that Paul “just doesn’t understand” foreign policy.

Paul fired back at both senators during an interview with Fox’s Bill Hemmer (emphasis added):

This comes from a group of people wrong about every policy issue over the last couple decades. I’ll give you a couple examples where they support the president’s foreign policy and I don’t: They supported Hillary Clinton’s war in Libya; they supported President Obama’s bombing of Assad; they also support President Obama’s foreign aid to countries that hate us. So if there is anyone who is most opposed to President Obama’s foreign policy, it’s me. People who call loudest to criticize me are great proponents of President Obama’s foreign policy — they just want to do it ten times over. I’m only one actually standing up and saying the war in Libya was a mistake; the bombing of Assad would make ISIS stronger; the arms to the Islamic rebels would make ISIS stronger. So I’m really the one standing up to President Obama. And these people are essentially the lapdogs for President Obama and I think they’re sensitive about that.

...

read more:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/rand-paul...ogs-for-obama/

[roho76]

How's the back of my hand smell, *bitch*?

[Inkblots]

How's the back of my hand smell, *bitch*?

I've owned several bitches. They were all loyal, brave and kind. Please don't insult them by likening them to Lindsey Graham.

That being said; GO RAND! It's about time someone punched back at the neocons.

[jmdrake]

I think Rand should point out yet again that John McCain took a photo op with terrorists. Sure those terrorists technically weren't "ISIS" but they sold an American journalist to ISIS who then beheaded him. Rand should never have apologized for calling McCain out. That said, all I have to say for Rand pointing out that the neocons are supporting terrorism is:

[CaptUSA]

And there ya go! Ouch.


Flipping the "conservative" foreign policy argument. They want to paint Paul to the left of Obama? Guess what? Who wants to use the military more liberally?

[Mr.NoSmile]

Good that he's firing back, but it really adds to the narrative that Paul's Party is divided as hell with more voices higher-up coming down against him. Like others have said, he has two battles: fighting against the left and his own party, which won't be cheap stuff.

[twomp]

Who let the dogs out?

[CableNewsJunkie]

Can't wait for this sound bite to be turned into a photo meme...

McCain and Graham in Obama's lap "whimpering like little Shih Tzus"...

[JohnGalt1225]

We need a lot more of this. Hearing this asshats who are so wrong on foreign policy, they haven't taken the right position in decades, call non-interventionism "wacko" and "dangerous" is beyond rage inducing. The most dangerous foreign policy in the world is the neocon/war hawk policy of the last 20 or so years.

[hells_unicorn]

The first step to counteracting a lie is to openly oppose it. This was done by Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan in the past, whom both bore the brunt of the backlash. Now is the time for Rand to debunk the lie and reveal the Neocons for exactly what they are, closeted Marxists who want to use America's wealth to continue the old Trotskyite vision under a new name. Graham and McCain are 100% in agreement with Obama on foreign policy in principle, all nitpicking of how aggressive one or the other would be in the periphery not withstanding, it's time to ram this point home.

[orenbus]

[squirl22]

I love when Rand fights back! Lapdogs! How deliciously insulting! Go Rand!

[phill4paul]

[satchelmcqueen]

dont mess with rand! he will bite you. i love it. the debates cant come soon enough.

[Crashland]

Good for him. Even if the base is hawkish, McCain and Graham aren't particularly popular. He shouldn't pull any punches when they attack him.

[Deborah K]

Good for him. Even if the base is hawkish, McCain and Graham aren't particularly popular. He shouldn't pull any punches when they attack him.

I think the base is war-weary. I don't think McCain and Graham will resonate. The old guard has run its course. It's time for new blood.

[NACBA]

Rand Paul is tired of hearing Lindsey Graham and company criticize his foreign policy and it doesn’t sound like he’s going to take it anymore.

Only hours after Graham told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that the Kentucky senator has “been more wrong than right” about foreign policy, Paul took Graham and fellow Sen. John McCain to task for their worldview.

In an interview with Fox’s Bill Hemmer Tuesday, Paul called the pair “lapdogs for President Obama” while adding that they’ve been wrong about “every policy issue” over the past 20 years on the world stage.

“This comes from a group of people wrong about every policy issue over the last two decades,” Paul told Fox’s Bill Hemmer.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/21/ra...t-obama-video/

[radiofriendly]

Actually, the video is shortened and posted up above.
Thanks - I linked to it here: http://iroots.org/2015/04/21/its-on-...ogs-for-obama/

[eleganz]

This is epic, I wish Rand could stay above the attacks but I know its necessary, the neocons have been going hard against him lately and I think it is because Rand's Hillary strategy is actually working, that is Rand's only current strategy and it seems to have gotten the neocons riled up even more.

[NoOneButPaul]

That's what I like to see... call them out for what they are.

[CableNewsJunkie]

CALLING ALL PHOTOSHOPPERS!!!

(Just FYI, for those that don't know, the boykin spaniel is SC's state dog.)

[Sola_Fide]

dont mess with rand! he will bite you. i love it. the debates cant come soon enough.

The debates will be different this time.

[jct74]

ALLAHPUNDIT likes Rand's response... and also floats the idea of Justin Amash jumping into the presidential race to help Rand combat the likes of Graham, Bolton, Peter King and their constant attacks. Which I think is a pretty bizarre idea, it just would not work out well for a number of reasons.

Rand Paul: It’s McCain and Lindsey Graham who are “lapdogs” for Obama’s foreign policy, not me

POSTED AT 6:01 PM ON APRIL 21, 2015 BY ALLAHPUNDIT


Via RCP, a smart, well prepared retort to superhawks like Graham, who’s already started beating on Paul during his quasi-2016 media tour. Rand seems to relish taking tropes that are common to interventionist critiques and turning them against his interventionist critics. Back in December, after Rubio tore into him for supporting Obama’s outreach to Cuba, Paul accused Rubio of behaving like an “isolationist” for refusing to engage diplomatically with a neighbor. Same move here. It’s not me who’s a shill for Obama’s foreign policy, says Paul, it’s McCain, Graham, and the other hawks who unfailingly cheer O on every time he intervenes somewhere abroad, pausing occasionally to criticize him only for not intervening more forcefully. I wonder if Rand likes that sort of tu quoque on a visceral level, because he enjoys watching hawks squirm when they get accused of “weakness” or being dupes for Obama, or if there’s a strategy behind it. Probably both: A counterattack like this could work better than we think at the debates, when plenty of low-information Republican voters will be watching without much of a sense of how Paul differs from conventional GOP hawkery. That’s why critiques about “isolationism” and shilling for Obama are so potent and dangerous to him potentially. The average Republican voter may not know the ins and outs of foreign conflicts and whether intervening is a good or bad idea, but hearing that Rand Paul is on Obama’s side on some of them will be received as shorthand for “Rand Paul is weak and too far left.” Paul’s strategy is to counter that by pointing out how many times hawks have been on Obama’s side too. Even if he doesn’t win many voters over with that argument, it’ll be a huge victory for him if he succeeds in neutralizing hawkish attacks by convincing Republicans that his points of agreement with O are really no more damning than Graham’s are.

...

read more:
http://hotair.com/archives/2015/04/2...policy-not-me/

[FreedomProsperityPeace]

So much for not "punching down".

[orenbus]

Rand did a great job with this, but I'm wonder where is Doug Wead? Would be great having him as a surrogate on MSM interviews to deal with these clowns while Rand continues to do the retail campaigning in the early states, anyone know if/when he will be joining the campaign?

[Matt Collins]

he has two battles: fighting against the left and his own party

I think that is one in the same in this case...

[r3volution 3.0]

The kind of voter who sympathizes with the hawkish line is not, by and large, susceptible to reason.

It's all about feeling tough. Show them who's the alpha male, and they''ll follow along like good little doggies.

So...attack.

[Virgil]

I loved the fact that the reporter had nothing to say about calling them lap dogs and quickly switched to new Hampshire.

-Virgil

[juleswin]

So much for not "punching down".

Sometimes you just got to punch. A buffalo doesn't sit idly by while the gnat annoys him all day. The buffalo just swatted and he is going to sleep well tonight

[CableNewsJunkie]