Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has added another rung in his foreign policy ladder to the GOP nomination this week. According to The New York Times, he has called for a formal declaration of war by Congress against ISIS.
“War cannot be initiated without Congress,” Sen. Paul said. He has repeatedly challenged President Obama and the rest of congress to follow constitutional procedures for military action.
“Conservatives are mad at [President Obama] about immigration. And they’re mad about him using executive authority on Obamacare… But this is another example where he doesn’t have much respect for Congress, and some conservatives don’t quite get that.”
President Obama has yet to follow up on his promise to formally request congressional authorization for continued military action in the Middle East, which has many in both parties frustrated. They see this as just another example of the White House ignoring Congress and the constitutional mandate for checks and balances.
Sen. Pauls move is being looked at by some analysts as a tactic to balance his image on foreign policy ahead of an eventual run for president.
Paul has sought to discredit those who label him an isolationist and paint him as a clone of his father, the perennial GOP candidate Ron Paul. The elder Paul’s noninterventionist views have caused a stir in the Republican party and his detractors have accused him of wanting to ignore the rest of the world.
Much of Sen. Paul probable presidential bid will depend on his more mainstream views allowing him to attract more than just the far right among the Republican voter base.
