Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) raised more than a few eyebrows when he suggested earlier this week on Fox News Business that the U.S. government should be able to employ drones against the nation’s criminals, in particular a hypothetical armed liquor store robber.
The Kentucky libertarian, who mounted a memorable filibuster on the Senate floor last month objecting to the Obama administration’s drone policy on American soil, countered that liberal blogs were to blame for subverting his position entirely.
“This is something that is completely manufactured and created by some left-wing blog,” he told the Des Moines Register. “My statement on drones on Neil Cavuto two days ago was exactly the same thing I said during the 13-hour filibuster. In fact, we’ve gone back and gotten the clips. You can look at my website and we’re encouraging others who have been critical to look at the website, that it’s exactly the same statement that I’ve always said.”
He added: “It kind of stretches credulity to think I would go 13 hours of filibuster about something that I’m changing my position on.”
In a statement released Wednesday, Paul said that his comments left a “mistaken impression” of his actual position on the subject. “Armed drones should not be used in normal crime situations. They may only be considered in extraordinary, lethal situations where there is an ongoing, imminent threat,” he added.
Rand’s comments were indeed picked up by left-wing outlets as well as the conservative Drudge Report, which linked to a Foreign Policy article featuring comments by furious Ron Paul supporters, with this headline:
