Senator Rand Paul joined Chuck Todd on MTP, and expressed his displeasure at Senator Ted Cruz for stealing his foreign policy ideas.
TODD: You said, "I resolve to spend less time voting in the Senate so Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz don't look so bad." Then you said this about Ted Cruz, "I resolve to give Ted Cruz more lead time before I announce my policy positions so he can replicate them faster." So you believe that basically he steals all your ideas?
SEN. RAND PAUL: Well, you know, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And I think on foreign policy, he started talking about regime change being a bad idea, toppling secular dictators being a bad idea. And I think I've been the leader on that issue and I continue to. And it's an important voice.
He also blasted Cruz for he way he conducts himself in Congress - acting like a jackass in the Senate for all his personal attacks against GOP leader Mitch McConnell and other members.
CHUCK TODD:Let me ask you one more question about Ted Cruz. Do you think he deserves this reputation in the Senate that he's difficult to work with?
SEN. RAND PAUL: You know, I think people have different strategies and approaches to how they deal with people. I've had many disagreements with those in leadership. But I could try to keep it on a professional basis. I don't go to the floor and call people liars, because I don't think that one, that meets the rules of the Senate. The rules of the Senate say you're not supposed to attack someone's character.
And I think you can call them out, and I've given ten-hour speeches, 13-hour speeches, without calling anybody names. But talking about the history of our country, the importance of the Bill of Rights, the importance of the Fourth Amendment and privacy. But I tend not to have the same strategy of attacking people personally. It hasn't done well for them in Washington. It may be rousing people, but ultimately, I don't think that personality would allow him to be the nominee.
Paul, as are the other candidates trailing the leaders in the polls, is not happy that the media is focusing so much of their attention on polling and Donald Trump, but he views Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio as his rivals at this point.
It's smart politics to target Cruz.
