Paul: Obama 'Policy of Dethroning Gadhafi' Helped Create Jihadist Mess

Trying to shake off the “isolationist” label he’s received on foreign policy matters, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) argued on Fox last night that ISIS has “absolutely” declared war on the United States.

“And I think what we should do is then come to the American people — a good leader — you know, if I had been president, I would have called a joint session of Congress this August, brought everybody back from recess and said, this is why ISIS is a threat to the country,” Paul said. “This is why I want to act, but I want to do it in a constitutional manner, and I want the entire American public to come together to galvanize support and say, you know what? This is something we can’t take. We’re not going to let our enemies behead our journalists We’re not going to let them become strong enough to attack our embassy.”

The senator said “you’d think people would kind of get” the fact that he doesn’t like being called an isolationist.

“I’ve been trying to say that for the last four years in public life, that I’m neither an isolationist nor an interventionist. I’m someone who believes in the Constitution and believes that America should have a strong national defense and believes that we should defend ourselves,” he said. “But when we do it, we should do it the way the Constitution intended. And that’s that the president should come before Congress and make the case for war.”

Paul showed shades of Campaign 2016, stressing that “in the past, you know, Hillary Clinton has said ISIS is not a threat to the United States.”

Still, he said “intervention isn’t always the answer.”

“I think in Libya, it’s made the world less safe. It’s made the jihadist groups more emboldened in Libya. I would say the same thing in Syria. I think that President Obama’s support for the Islamic rebels has allowed ISIS to grow stronger in Syria, and they never would have grown this strong without weapons from — or their allies getting weapons from both us, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar. So really, we have done a disservice and created chaos that’s allowed the jihadists to grow stronger,” the senator continued.

“…President Obama’s policy of dethroning Gadhafi, of going after Assad, has made the jihadists stronger. I don’t say we’re responsible. I don’t say America’s responsible. I say President Obama’s responsible.”