Paul seems keen to placate Republicans who absurdly insist that the current defense budget is inadequate, even though it amounts to nearly two-fifths of global military spending. But the Republican Party desperately needs a candidate who understands that “not every dollar spent on the military is necessary or well-spent,” as Paul put it at the 2012 Republican convention.
In a related move, Paul has become notably more open to foreign intervention, endorsing war with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the very same day that he wondered aloud whether the terrorist organization posed “a threat to our national security.” To his credit, Paul still insists that military action must be approved by Congress, and he still opposes U.S. involvement in Syria’s civil war (which makes you wonder how he proposes to “destroy” ISIS).
The Rand Paul of 2015 would benefit from a conversation with the Rand Paul of 2012, who declared that “we are in too many places, too often, and we don’t seem to even know the reason—or where we will end up when we’re done.” Instead of learning from foreign fiascos, Paul said in a CNN.com essay, “both parties rush headlong into more places they don’t understand.”
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