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By Ashley Killough, CNN

November 10, 2014 -- Updated 1618 GMT (0018 HKT)

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Washington (CNN) -- Sen. Rand Paul declared the war against ISIS "illegal" in a new opinion piece Monday, urging conservatives to speak out against President Barack Obama's decision not to seek congressional authorization for military action against the terrorist group.

"This war is now illegal. It must be declared and made valid, or it must be ended," the Kentucky Republican wrote in an op-ed published Monday by the Daily Beast.

The U.S. began airstrikes in Iraq in early August and in Syria in September, citing a 2001 measure known as the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) as the president's legal basis for going after terrorist threats.

Paul cites the War Powers Resolution of 1973 in stressing his long-held position that all military action must be approved by Congress. The exception is when a situation is considered urgent. In that case, a president has 60 days to get authorization after military action. If there's no approval from Congress, the president has 30 days to end the mission.

Rand Paul plants feet between both sides of foreign policy debate

While Paul said he doesn't think the War Powers Resolution specifically applies to the ISIS situation -- because the U.S. had not been attacked -- he notes that even if it did, the president's time would be up.

"Taking military action against ISIS is justified. The president acting without Congress is not," he wrote, reiterating a stance he's held since September. This fall Paul has described the airstrikes in Syria as appropriate action but said Obama's method for doing so was "unconstitutional."

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Rand Paul: War on ISIS 'is now illegal'

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has made key decisions about how to launch his presidential campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination, including a plan to headquarter his effort in Louisville and opting to run for re-election to the Senate at the same time he moves forward with the national race.

Coming off a midterm campaign blitz in 35 states, Paul has summoned a few dozen advisers a mix of veterans of his father Ron Pauls insurgent campaigns and more mainstream GOP leaders for a closed-door summit at a Washington hotel on Wednesday to discuss his future plans.

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In a POLITICO interview, the 51-year-old senator talked unblinkingly about the possibility of a run, and sought to draw a sharp contrast between himself and Hillary Clinton none too subtly raising the issue of her age. At 67, she is 16 years older than he is.

(Also on POLITICO: Young guns vs. gavels)

I think all the polls show if she does run, shell win the Democrat nomination, he said. But I dont think its for certain. Its a very taxing undertaking to go through. Its a rigorous physical ordeal, I think, to be able to campaign for the presidency.

Paul, who will face a much more crowded field on the Republican side but starts out as a slight front-runner in public polls, has begun an aggressive early campaign against Clinton. In the interview, he argued that her hawkish position inside the Obama administration for military intervention in places such as Libya will stack up unfavorably against his views.

Her main Achilles heel is that she didnt provide an adequate defense for our consulate in Libya, Paul said during a trip to Georgia just before the midterms. And also, she didnt think through the unintended consequences of getting involved in the Libyan war. So I think youd have an interesting dynamic, were there a [Republican] nominee that was for less intervention overseas and in the Middle East and thats fiscally conservative. Youve never seen that kind of combination before, and I think theres a lot of independent voters, actually, that might be attracted to that kind of message.

Paul reiterated his long-standing assertion that he wont officially decide about a presidential run until the spring, but his advisers have already laid out a timetable: They expect the campaign will be a go by mid-April, with an announcement as quickly after that as his staff can put together a fly-around to the early states.

(Also on POLITICO: The war over Obama's new war in Iraq)

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Rand's grand plan

Rand Paul on NBC #39;Meet The Press #39; 11/2/14
Rand Paul on NBC #39;Meet The Press #39; 11/2/14.

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Rand Paul on NBC 'Meet The Press' 11/2/14 - Video

John Stossel: I Hope Rand Paul Is The 2016 Nominee
Air Date: November 6th, 2014 This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a #39;...

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John Stossel: I Hope Rand Paul Is The 2016 Nominee - Video

updated 10:26 AM EST, Fri November 7, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- Sen. Mitch McConnell just put one election behind him that is expected to sweep him into the position of Senate majority leader, but he already knows who he'd back in 2016 if he decides to run: fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul.

"I don't think he's made a final decision on that. But he'll be able to count on me," McConnell said of Paul's presidential prospects in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader published Thursday.

McConnell, who called himself a "big supporter of Rand Paul" said the pair have "developed a very tight relationship."

"And I'm for him," McConnell said. "Whatever he decides to do."

That's despite the fact that other members of McConnell's new majority are considering presidential bids, including Sens. Ted Cruz, Rob Portman and Marco Rubio.

Who got a 2016 boost from midterms?

But McConnell and Paul have become close, with Paul campaigning with McConnell to stave off the Senate minority leader's Democratic challenge from Alison Lundergan Grimes. And the pair spent Election Night together in Kentucky.

McConnell and Paul have come a long way since 2010, when McConnell backed his primary opponent, a mistake he said he wished he could "do over again."

"I've learned my lesson there," McConnell said. "That clearly was a mistake. We all make them, and that's one if I had to do over again I would."

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McConnell: Rand Paul can 'count on me' for 2016 - CNN.com