Just in time for him to speak at Howard School of Business in Washington DC today The American Spectator has published a piece in which they make the case for Rand Paul being a "realist".
[H]e seems to be feeling his way toward a clear definition of realism, at least as he understands it.“Neoconservatives seem to want boots on the ground everywhere, to be involved in every single war around the world,” Paul said in our interview. “Isolationists want us never to be involved anywhere around the world. Realism is a sort of in-between position.”
The second component of Paul’s realism, in keeping with the thinking of realist luminaries like George F. Kennan (whom he mentioned in his Heritage address) and Henry Kissinger, is the national interest.
“A realist also asks, ‘Is there a vital national interest involved here? Is someone attacking our soldiers or our people?’ You have to look at the specifics, the pros and cons, and weigh actual evidence,” Paul said. “It’s not that we should never get involved. I would have us get involved only when our vital interests are affected.”
THIS APPROACH—sober, empirical, more than a shade utilitarian—seems to explain more than just Rand Paul’s foreign policy.
The article also says that Rand Paul is quite the dapper dresser.
Rand Paul’s shirts always seem to fit. Look at almost any picture of him: The jacket lapel is always touching the tip of his collar, if only just barely. His untamed curls notwithstanding, he looks professional, put together, serious.
That last piece above gave me a chuckle. I remember the first time I met Rand and had the chance to visit with him in private after his Town Hall meeting in Florence. I'm sure he will remember it too and chuckle at that comment in the article.
All in all, Rand has certainly not squandered his time, his political capital nor has he taken for granted any of the support he received in 2010. Whether he has what it takes to win a GOP primary in 2016 or not remains to be seen, but one thing is clear, he is definitely one to be taken seriously.
Gun Filibuster flop; Latino Outreach fail; and now the Howard University crash and burn. Watching for more from Rand Paul.
Posted by: Bill Adkins | April 11, 2013 at 08:02 AM