Dishing It Right Back

(AP photo)

Rand Paul goes on offense against the press:

On Tuesday, hours after his campaign launch, Paul bristled at a question from Fox News host Sean Hannity about a 2007 comment in which he’d dubbed the idea that Iran posed a threat to U.S. security a “ridiculous” one. Paul was one of 47 Republican senators who recently signed a letter aimed at derailing a deal to contain Iran’s nuclear program, drawing scrutiny over his hawkish turn.

“You know, things do change over time,” Paul said. “I also wasn’t campaigning for myself [in 2007], I was campaigning to help my father at the time.”

Hours later, he pushed back even harder amid similar foreign policy questions from “Today” host Savannah Guthrie.

“Before we go through a litany of things you say I’ve changed on, why don’t you ask me a question: ‘Have I changed my opinion?’ That would sort of be a better way to approach an interview,” Paul told the NBC journalist.

I don’t know if the broader American public is ready for this fight, but I’m damn sure GOP primary voters are.

Think back to 2011-12, and Newt Gingrich’s ill-fated campaign. When was he able to get the crowds excited? It wasn’t when he was talking moon colonies or his various “conservative” big government schemes. It was when during the debates, Newt took on the moderators and their progressive assumptions. If Mitt Romney had had that kind of gall, he might be President today — because he’d have defused “War on Women” immediately, when George Stephanopoulos first planted that land mine. Instead, Romney treated Stephanopoulos like a fair broker, instead of as the Democratic operative he once was and still is.

More like this, Rand — please.