Rand Paul is, as John McCain once labeled him, a ‘whacko-bird’.
No, it’s not because of his opposition to NSA. That actually has a lot of bipartisan and populist support. And no, it’s not because many Republican leaders think he should be running as a Democrat.
What makes Paul a whacko-bird is his views on the military budget. Despite rallying against foreign wars and foreign aid, Paul flip-flopped from slashing the military budget to supporting a budget that would bolster it.
Now certainly there is a difference between the Pentagon budget and NSA surveillance programs. However, if we are to give any credence to the information revealed by publications like The Intercept and The Nation, it is obvious that there is little cleavage between the voices advocating for continued surveillance programs and those promoting further military engagement.
So, despite living up to his promise to work against NSA surveillance, is Rand grandstanding solely for political points ahead of 2016? Or are we missing something?
Source: Rand Paul Takes On ‘Eye Roll’ Caucus to Oppose Data Gathering in Patriot Act – NYTimes.com
