Sen. Rand Paul Argues Against U.S. Arming Syrian Rebels on Senate Floor - September 18, 2014
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Sen. Rand Paul Argues Against U.S. Arming Syrian Rebels on Senate Floor - September 18, 2014 - Video
Calling the presidents plan to confront ISIS absurd, Republican Sen. Rand Paul on Thursday blasted the proposal to arm and train Syrian rebels in the fight against the Islamic terror group.
It's messy, he said in a passionate 45-minute speech on the Senate floor. It's unclear. There are bad people on both sides. We need to stay the heck out of their civil war.
Paul also strongly objected to the idea that the Senate will not hold a separate vote on the authorization to arm the rebels. That measure has been combined with a larger short-term spending bill meant to prevent a government shutdown.
Sending arms to so-called moderate rebels in Syria is a fool's errand and will only make ISIS stronger," said the Kentucky Republican. "America should only go to war to win. We shouldn't go to war sort-of-meandering our way through a spending bill."
Paul has developed a reputation as a leading Republican non-interventionist for eschewing foreign conflicts and calling for the elimination of foreign aid. In recent weeks, though, the possible 2016 contender Paul has tried to make the case that he is not an isolationist and said that he supports a military strategy to destroy ISIS.
"It's not that I'm against all intervention, he said Thursday. I do see ISIS as a problem. ISIS is now a threat to us. But I see our previous policy as having made it worse."
First published September 18 2014, 12:06 PM
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Rand Paul Blasts 'Absurd' Syrian Rebel Plan
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took to the Senate floor on Thursday afternoon to voice his strong opposition to a measure authorizing President Obama to train and arm the Syrian Free Army, a moderate rebel group, to combat the Islamic State.
Paul, who often advocates a more cautious foreign policy than many of his GOP colleagues, warned that intervening in Syria could, in fact, make things worse.
We need to stay the heck out of their civil war, Paul said, later adding. It is their war and they need to fight it.
Paul said that he believes that it is intellectually dishonest for the Obama administration as well as some members of Congress to argue that a use of force authorized by Congress to combat Al Qaeda more than a decade ago could now apply to sending arms or carrying out air strikes in Syria.
That vote had nothing to do with this, it had absolutely nothing to do with this, Paul said. You are intellectually dishonest if you argue that something passed in 2001 to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11 has anything to do with sending arms to Syria.
Paul criticized the Syrian Free Army, and argued that in many cases in the past the United States has intervened in Middle Eastern conflicts only to see the militant and rebel groups that it supported become sponsors of terrorism a stance that was often trumpeted by his father, former Rep. Ron Paul, during his failed presidential bids.
Intervention created this chaos, Paul declared.
Paul said he believes that arming the rebels in Syria could, in fact, strengthen some terrorist groups and poise a threat to Israel.
Your representatives are sending $500 million to people who will tactically align with Al Qaeda, Paul declared. Who are we really arming? What will be the results? Where will these arms end up?
Paul said that the vote to authorize military action should be a separate, standalone vote in the Senate before leveling sharp criticism at President Obama for not coming to Congress for war authorization, saying he now does everything he criticized while Obama was himself in the Senate.
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Rand Paul blasts Obamas Syria plan: We need to stay the heck out of their civil war
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