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By Ashley Killough, CNN

updated 4:26 PM EST, Tue December 2, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- Trying to strike a balance between shedding his isolationist label and defending his nontraditional GOP views on foreign policy, Sen. Rand Paul took another jab Tuesday at his more hawkish colleague, Sen. John McCain.

In a discussion hosted by Paul Gigot, editorial page editor at The Wall Street Journal, Paul argued he's not in favor of a total abandonment of U.S. intervention overseas but was unapologetic in saying he's "one of the least reluctant to go to war."

"If I'm ever commander-in-chief, I will not want to take the country to war," the Kentucky Republican said. "It will be the last resort and only when the country is united."

Paul said he's not staking out an "all or none" approach on U.S. intervention.

"But I do believe less. I believe we've been everywhere all the time. We're about to bankrupt our country and there is great danger to what we've been doing," he said. "I want less. McCain wants more. He wants 15 countries more or 15 wars more."

His comments came at The Wall Street Journal's annual meeting of the CEO Council, an audience that overwhelmingly favors former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as the 2016 Republican presidential nominee.

The jab against McCain marks the latest hit in an ongoing back-and-forth between the two senators over foreign policy. This summer they sparred publicly after Paul repeatedly pushed a widely-debunked claim that the Arizona senator took a photo with ISIS leaders when he went to Syria last year.

Excerpt from:
Rand Paul says John McCain wants 15 more wars