A quick addendum to what Allahpundit already predicted this afternoon; I think we can safely conclude which side Rand Paul is picking in this latest iteration of a budget battle, courtesy of the bipartisan machinations of Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Paul Ryan, and here’s the video to prove it. If Congress’s conservatives do decide to stage a major outcry against the plan, I’d expect Paul to be front-and-center, via RCP:

Paul: This budget deal is worse than a continuing resolution because it actually increases spending by $60 billion in the first two years and we know the history of Congress is that they lie. They don’t keep their word. So after two years, no budget deal is worth the paper it’s written on, it’s only worth something in the first year or two and, mark my words, they’ll go back on this deal also after a year or two and they don’t like it. So we should increase the spending cuts.

Cavuto: I think it is an example of the type of deal — maybe I’m wrong, I don’t want to put deals in his mouth or head — that a Chris Christie would come up with where they get deal done, it might not be perfect to either side but it keeps moving the ball forward. What do you think of that?

Paul: But here’s the problem, it doesn’t. It moves it backwards. It is worse than the status quo. The status quo will spend $60 billion less than the budget deal over the next two years. They do some ledger domain and do some shell games and they want to say that there’s less addition to the deficit, but over ten years, this deal will add $7 trillion to the deficit. It does not significantly alter our course. We’re still on a course for disaster.