Back to Iran. Rand Paul talking some sense...
It was over just a week ago that Republicans agreed their first 2016 presidential primary debate wouldn’t come until August.
But on Sunday night, three GOP senators who have eyes on the White House sparred gingerly about American foreign policy, particularly on how the U.S. should go about confronting Iran.
Sitting in the middle seat on a stage at the Freedom Partners summit in California, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., split with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on the implementation of tougher sanctions against Iran.
Paul, who stressed that war with the country should be the last option, said that leveling new sanctions against Iran would only push it away from the negotiating table over its nuclear program and potentially set up a dire confrontation.
“I’m a big fan of trying to exert and trying the diplomatic option as long as we can. If it fails, I will vote to resume sanctions and I would vote to have new sanctions,” he said.
“But if you do it in the middle of negotiations, you’re ruining it.”
Paul never heard audible affirmation for his position, but he did raise an uncomfortable question to his colleagues about the lack of options at their disposal.
“What are we going to do? Are you ready to send ground troops into Iran? Are you ready to bomb them? Are you ready to send 100,000 troops?,” he asked.
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