The Republican split over Cuba is heating up.
A day after Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul broke with the majority of the GOP to back President Barack Obamas shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba, he has become embroiled in a spat with fellow Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a potential rival for the GOP nomination in 2016 who opposes the thaw in relations between the two countries.
On Thursday night, Mr. Rubio, speaking to Fox News Megyn Kelly, had harsh words for Mr. Paul. Like many people that have been opining, he has no idea what hes talking about, Mr. Rubio said. Mr. Rubio has been one of the most vocal opponents of Mr. Obamas move, and on Thursday defended the U.S. embargo on Cuba, saying that the Cuban government has had far more negative effects on the countrys people than the embargo has. Mr. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants, and his Miami political base has historically opposed engagement with Cuba.
On Friday, Mr. Paul fired back in a series of tweets. Hey @marcorubio if the embargo doesnt hurt Cuba, why do you want to keep it? he began. He said Mr. Rubio was acting like an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat, adding, I reject this isolationism. He also pointed to U.S. engagement with Communist countries like China and Vietnam, an argument several Democrats, including Mr. Obama, have made in favor of the policy shift. And Mr. Paul directed his colleague to an NPR poll showing that a majority of Cuban-Americans support restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He also posted a similar criticism of Mr. Rubio on Facebook.Roughly an hour later, he followed up with an op-ed in Time under the headline, Cuba Isolationists Just Dont Get It. The op-ed doesnt explicitly mention Mr. Rubio, but Mr. Paul wrote, Lets hope cooler heads will ultimately prevail and we unleash a trade tsunami that washes the Castros once and for all into the sea.
Mr. Rubio hasnt yet replied on Twitternor does he follow Mr. Paul. (Mr. Paul, however, does follow Mr. Rubio.)
As he prepares for a possible presidential run, Mr. Paulwho has often been targeted as an isolationisthas taken great lengths to distance himself from that label and the GOPs libertarian wing. This summer, he voted to back U.S. airstrikes against Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq as polling showed voters leaning toward a more active foreign policythe first military action he supported since his election. Then, too, Mr. Rubio pounced, calling it unfortunate that lawmakers would rather wait for poll numbers to change than to demonstrate the leadership necessary to shape them.
And this is not the first time Mr. Paul has bickered with fellow Republicans whom he may oppose in the GOP primary. In November, Mr. Paul knocked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie after the governor told a heckler at a press conference to sit down and shut up. Mr. Paul said Mr. Christies bully demeanor might not appeal to Americans outside of New Jersey.
In July, he and Texas Gov. Rick Perrywho has also expressed interest in a 2016 runtraded barbs over foreign policy and how to handle the extremist group Islamic State. Mr. Paul, an ophthalmologist, also poked fun at the governors eyewear.
Hes also knocked the entire Republican Party. In October, he said the GOP brand sucks, and said Republicans were up against 40 years of us doing a crappy job.
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Rand Paul Trolls Marco Rubio in #Cuba Row