Rand Paul’s Dangerous, Divisive Demagoguery

TRand Paul has decided to run for president on a platform that will have two predictable effects: It will endanger the national security and it will fracture the Republican Party. That may enable him to raise funds and his profile, but it should disqualify him from being a serious candidate for commander-in-chief.

Take Sen. Paul’s ongoing obstructionism of three now-lapsed provisions of the Patriot Act. He claims it’s principled opposition to unconstitutional government surveillance. Yet, he’s explicitly trying to parlay such misleading demagoguery into campaign contributions.

There is a real possibility that some Americans may needlessly die due to Rand Paul’s machinations. Many surely will if – by dividing the GOP and helping Democrats appear relatively responsible on national security – he sets the stage for four more years of disastrous defense and foreign policies.