Sen. Rand Paul, seen here at a speech in Dallas, Texas on August 29, 2014. Mike Stone, Getty Images
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, isn't waiting until the 2016 election to formally kick off to start tearing into Hillary Clinton, the most prominent face among Democrats who might seek the nomination.
Referencing a 2008 primary ad in which Clinton suggested then-candidate Barack Obama will not prepared to handle a major overnight crisis as president, Paul suggested the former secretary of state had proven herself incapable of doing so either.
Play Video
Excerpts leaked from Hillary Clintons new upcoming book show a strong defense of her handling of the 2012 Benghazi terror attacks that killed fo...
"I think she had a 3 a.m. moment. She didn't answer the phone, and I think it absolutely should preclude her from being [president]," he said at the California Republican convention, where he was speaking Saturday, according to the L.A. Times. Paul had just described Clinton's actions in the lead up to the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, which Paul offered as proof of her failure.
Paul also lit into President Obama, an unsurprising choice of target given the president's low approval ratings which threatens to drag down Democrats during the midterm elections.
The Kentucky Republican pointed to the Affordable Care Act and Mr. Obama's initial plans to take unilateral action on immigration (which was ultimately delayed until after the November elections) to argue that he was running roughshod over the Constitution.
"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a danger to us as a country, and we need to do everything we can to stop him from abusing our laws," Paul said. Later, he added, "We have a president who basically has created a lawless atmosphere in Washington."
Play Video
See more here:
Rand Paul not waiting for 2016 to take on Hillary Clinton