Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a “war hawk” and added that if she decides to run for president in 2016 voters will question whether she wants to bring the U.S. into another war in the Middle East.
Paul, himself a potential 2016 candidate, made the comments during an appearance on NBC’s Meet The Press.
“I think that’s what scares the Democrats the most, is that in a general election, were I to run, there’s going to be a lot of independents and even some Democrats who say, ‘You know what? We are tired of war,” Paul said, according to The Associated Press. “We’re worried that Hillary Clinton will get us involved in another Middle Eastern war, because she’s so gung-ho.”
Clinton, when she served in the United States Senate, voted in favor of letting then-President George W. Bush have the authority to invade Iraq. Clinton, since then, has said she regrets making that vote.
Paul’s comments as lawmakers continue to discuss the ongoing problem about the militant Islamist group ISIS in Iraq. Also on Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the group should be taken very seriously.
In response, Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Michael Czin said that Paul’s foreign policy centers around retreating from the United States’ responsibilities. Here’s Czin’s statement:
Senator Paul’s foreign policy vision is to retreat from our responsibilities abroad by ending all foreign aid to our allies – including Israel. That’s the vision he’s laid out and defended time and time again and that even conservatives have said would bring ‘terrible misery’ to millions of people across the globe.
If Senator Paul wants to have a debate between his fringe, isolationist vision and that of Democrats who have restored our credibility around the world and brought countless service members safely home, that’s a debate we’re eager to have.
This post was updated.
