2014/03/14/Rand Paul's Big Flip-Flop on Russia

title/short::Rand Paul's Big Flip-Flop on Russia In April 2009, Paul, on the cusp of launching his Senate campaign, gave a talk to the College Republicans group at Western Kentucky University. He was asked about the large number of US troops stationed overseas by an audience member who said it was "ridiculous" for the United States to maintain permanent military bases in Europe and elsewhere around the world. Paul responded sympathetically: "We're now 60 years in Germany, 60 years in Japan, 50 years in Korea." He defended his father, Ron Paul, for having noted during the 2008 presidential race that there were foreign policy causes for 9/11: "We have to understand there is blowback from our foreign policy."
 * when: when posted::2014/03/14
 * author: author::David Corn
 * source: site::Mother Jones
 * topics: topic::Rand Paul topic::US/Russia relations topic::Crimea topic::Barack Obama/presidency topic::9-11 topic::hypocrisy
 * keywords
 * link: URL::http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/03/rand-paul-flip-flop-russia-ukraine-georgia
 * title: title::WATCH: Rand Paul's Big Flip-Flop on Russia
 * summary: "Earlier this week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) slammed President Barack Obama for not doing enough in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's incursion into Crimea." In 2009, however, he said almost the exact opposite.