DES MOINES, IOWA — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is in town today to be a walking Daisy ad on behalf of his father, Ron.
His main target: the surging Rick Santorum.
On Iowa talk radio this morning, Rand took after Santorum with a line of attack reminiscent of that infamous Lyndon Johnson dig at Barry Goldwater. In short, Rand asked, is Santorum the kind of guy you want with his finger on the button?
The line came in response to a question about Ron Paul’s foreign policy, which has given many in the pro-Israel right pause. They worry that Paul will allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon and won’t engage the country even if it attacks Israel. Santorum and other Republican candidates have been attacking Paul along these lines with great gusto, thinking they can push Paul out to the extremes and far away from the average Iowa voter.
Rand said his father’s view has been distorted and explained that the real question on foreign policy isn’t about who won’t attack another country, but rather who will. And Santorum’s anti-Iran talk is downright dangerous, Rand said.
“Ron Paul does not want [Iran] to have a nuclear weapon, but the question is do you want someone who’s trigger happy to be your commander in chief?,” Rand said.
Santorum is “a little over-eager to drop bombs,” Rand said.
He’s also someone who never served in the military. Ron Paul served in the military, will use force against our enemies if it’s required and if Congress approves of it, but I’m a little concerned about someone who didn’t serve in the military like Santorum, who’s a little over-eager to bomb countries because I don’t think he’s maturely thinking through the process and the consequences of war.
This is a nice attempt at a ninja move by the Paul campaign — turning all the fire and brimstone about Iran into a real discussion about a potentially real nuclear war could give conservatives (who polls have shown are war-weary like the rest of America) pause when it comes to backing Santorum and other candidates who like to focus on Iran as well.
But Santorum is clearly Rand’s main focus on the ground here in Iowa today. In addition to worries about his trigger finger, Rand questioned his commitment to conservatism as well (Ron’s also out doing that, accusing Santorum of being “very liberal.“)
Here’s Rand’s version, from the radio:
Well, you know you’re starting to see that some of the conservatives have gone here and there and they’re looking for someone who they think is their champion. But before they settle on Santorum they need to realize he was a big supporter of Medicare Part D, the expansion of Medicare, a big supporter of No Child Left Behind, I’ve seen him asked directly about the Department of Education, he’s for it. … We still believe in eliminating the Dept. of Education, that there is no function on the federal level for that. But Rick Santorum’s a big supporter of the Department of Education; he in fact voted to double the size of the Department of Education with No Child Left Behind. So I call him a big government moderate and I think conservatives need to be wary before thinking Santorum can be their champion.
