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BERKELEY Sen. Rand Paul, a leading critic of the government's domestic spying program, came to the birthplace of the free-speech movement Wednesday to deliver a searing indictment of the intelligence community and call for a sweeping congressional investigation of its activities.

Addressing a mostly student audience just off the UC Berkeley campus, the Kentucky Republican suggested the nation's surveillance agencies "drunk with power" were running roughshod over the Constitution by prying into the most intimate details of people's lives.

Accessing financial records under a broad anti-terrorism umbrella, Paul said, the government can tell "whether you drink, whether you smoke, whether you gamble, what books you read, what magazines you read, whether you see a psychiatrist, what medications you take."

"I oppose this abuse of power with every ounce of energy I have. I believe you have a right to privacy and it should be protected," Paul said to cheers and applause from the enthusiastic crowd of about 400.

Upon returning to Washington, Paul said, he would call for creating a bipartisan Senate committee modeled after one in the 1970s that examined CIA abuses, to undertake an unfettered look at the conduct of the country's spy agencies. "It should watch the watchers," he said.

Paul's civil libertarian stance and condemnation of domestic surveillance are well known. He filed a lawsuit this year against President Obama and the heads of several intelligence agencies, challenging the constitutionality of the National Security Agency's data-mining program, which for years has swept up troves of information on Americans' private communications.

The suit is one of several challenging the once-secret program, started under President George W. Bush and defended by the current administration as a lawful and necessary tool to fight terrorism.

Of greater note was the venue that Paul chose, a campus that has been a wellspring of bohemian thought and left-wing politics for generations. More than any other GOP presidential prospect, Paul has worked to broaden the party's appeal by calling for greater outreach, especially to younger voters "We need people with tattoos, ponytails and earrings" and by showing up at places Republicans rarely frequent.

He spoke last year to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where he broke with many in his party by endorsing comprehensive immigration reform. A few weeks later, he drew a mixed reception for a speech on civil rights at Washington's Howard University, historically one of the nation's top black colleges.

Asked Wednesday whether his appearance at Berkeley was an effort to broaden the GOP's appeal preparatory to a run for president in two years, Paul did not rule out the possibility. "Maybe," he said.

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Sen. Rand Paul takes his anti-spying message to UC Berkeley

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., right, sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

BERKELEY -- Nobody should be surprised that Rand Paul got so warm a welcome Wednesday, even in a city whose name is often preceded in conversation by "The People's Republic of..."

After all, the junior U.S. Senator from Kentucky and likely contender for 2016's Republican presidential nomination is following in his father's footsteps by drawing crowds of enthusiastic young followers, particularly on college campuses, wherever he goes.

And his policies -- particularly criticizing government surveillance programs, avoiding military actions that aren't vital to national security, and rethinking the war on drugs -- draw voters from across the spectrum, including some of Berkeley's famed lefties.

"He's a serious contender," said Bruce Cain, a political expert who directs Stanford University's Bill Lane Center for the American West. "He can come to the Bay Area and plausibly look for money, which is not the case with Sarah Palin or some of the other people on the right."

The younger Paul has found that money at a series of local fundraisers Tuesday and Wednesday, and tapped his young activist base with a speech Wednesday afternoon at UC-Berkeley's International House.

In a speech peppered with references to Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," Paul told a crowd of about 400 that he will call for creation of a bipartisan committee to probe and reform the intelligence community. Much like the post-Watergate Church Committee of the 1970s, "It should watch the watchers."

"Your rights, especially your right to privacy, are under assault," he said, noting the National Security Agency has said its surveillance programs treat lawmakers like any other Americans.

"Digest exactly what that means. If Congress is spied upon without their permission, who exactly is in charge of the government?"

Just as Edward Snowden broke the law by leaking information about these programs, so too did Director of National Intelligence James Clapper break the law by lying to Congress, Paul said. The nation is under watch by "an intelligence community that's drunk with power, unrepentant and unwilling to relinquish power," he said. "The sheer arrogance of this: They're only sorry that they got caught. Without the Snowden leaks, these spies would still be doing whatever they please."

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Rand Paul, Republican presidential hopeful, finds support in Berkeley, of all places

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BERKELEY (CBS / AP) Republican Sen. Rand Pauls criticisms of President Barack Obama and other government leaders over recent surveillance disclosures were warmly received on Wednesday at the University of California, Berkeley.

Paul, who is considering a presidential bid and is seen as one of several GOP front-runners ahead of 2016, held forth for 30 minutes on what he perceives to be abuses of government spy programs and a lack of oversight of the National Security Agency.

I find it ironic that the first African-American president has without compunction allowed this vast exercise of raw power by the NSA, said Paul, noting that other black heroes such as Martin Luther King Jr. were targets of illegal government spying.

Paul called for the creation of a bipartisan congressional committee to address allegations raised by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California that CIA agents secretly searched Senate computers.

He said he hoped that such a commission would be similar to the Church Committee of the 1970s, referring to the special Senate panel that exposed CIA abuses and pushed through laws limiting the intelligence communitys powers.

Dressed in blue jeans, white Ralph Lauren shirt with logo, red tie and cowboy boots, Paul spent much of his time trying to connect with his college-age audience, warning several times that their phones and computers were easily accessed by government snoops.

I believe what you do on a cellphone is none of their damn business, he said to applause.

He compared the Republican Party to a Domino Pizzas ad campaign in which the company admits to having made bad dough in the past but promising change in the future.

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Rand Paul Slams Obama, Others Over Spying During UC Berkeley Visit

Sen. Rand Paul has won several recent straw polls and surveys, and his brand of libertarianism seems to be on the rise in his party. But anointing him the early GOP front-runner for 2016 may be going too far.

Is Rand Paul really the front-runner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination? Theres some chatter to that effect at the moment among Washingtons pundit class. It was sparked by last weekends victory for the Kentucky senator in another straw poll, this one at the Northeast Republican Leadership Conference. Then CNN/ORC released a poll on Sunday with Senator Paul leading the list of potential nominees for GOP and GOP-leaning voters.

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

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As CNN notes, thats a feat that Pauls father, Ron Paul, never accomplished in all his years running for president.

Plus, Paul is already making good use of his fathers base of committed donors, notes Washington Post political expert Chris Cillizza. Hes done well in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Pauls brand of libertarianism seems to be on the rise in his party, particularly among young Republicans.

Its past time people start taking him seriously as a potential Republican nominee, Mr. Cillizza writes.

Well, sure. Paul himself seems intent on making a serious run. Where his fathers presidential efforts seemed more purely ideological, based on promoting the libertarian brand, Paul is doing the sort of stuff you do if you actually plan on trying to win the thing. Thus hes established an alliance of sorts with the very establishment Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, his fellow Kentuckian.

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