"Ayn" Rand Paul's Throw Down

Cracks have been showing in the Republican / New Confederate / Stupid Party for years, most noticeably after their defeat in the 2012 Presidential election.  Whether it's the corporate donor wing vs. the tea baggers, or the "libertarians" vs. the neocons, the Rethugs have been united only in their opposition to (and frequent hatred of) President Obama.  But with the 2016 elections 18 months away, their disunity seems to be growing.

Now that Kentucky Sen. "Ayn" Rand Paul is running for the Rethug nomination, the chasm between the neocon/military interventionists and the "libertarians"/isolationists has widened, with the extension of the so-called Patriot Act as the dynamite.  In contention is the bulk data collection by the NSA, which the neocon armchair warriors contend in the foundation of the Act, and which "libertarians" like Paul assert is an invasion of privacy by the Gummint.  When Paul took to the Senate floor this weekend to delay action on the Act's extension, the neocons/military interventionists  went (pun intended) ballistic.  Led by bombing enthusiast Sen. John "Walnuts" McCain (Dang Fence-AZ), they've attacked Paul, questioning his motives and his readiness to be commander in chief.

With House of Bush heir apparent John Ellis "J.E.B." Bush continuing to fumble on handling his brother's disastrous record on national security (see post below), it's the latest reminder of the way the majority of Rethugs would handle national security and domestic privacy -- just like Dumbya did, and perhaps with even more recklessness, since their party has lurched further to the far right.  After Paul left the Rethug reservation over who was to blame for ISIS (hint:  Rethug hawks), it's clear that he'll hanging onto the rear bumper of the 2016 clown car if his party leaders have anything to say about it.