Rand Challenges Rubio's 'Isolationist' Stance on Cuba

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Sen. Rand Paul called out Sen. Marco Rubio on Twitter, criticizing his Cuba policy as isolationist. It's the latest battle in the war of ideas between the senators, who represent two very different strains of Republicanism when it comes to foreign policy.

Paul accused Rubio of "acting like an isolationist"—an ironic criticism, given that Paul is often accused (wrongly) of being an isolationist solely because he has opposed U.S. military involvement in places like Iraq and Libya. The tweets:

Hey @marcorubio if the embargo doesn't hurt Cuba, why do you want to keep it? — Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 19, 2014

Senator @marcorubio is acting like an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat. I reject this isolationism. — Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 19, 2014

The United States trades and engages with other communist nations, such as China and Vietnam. So @marcorubio why not Cuba? — Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 19, 2014

.@marcorubio what about the majority of Cuban-Americans who now support normalizing relations between our countries? http://t.co/0qhSOeD9Va — Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 19, 2014

Rubio did not respond.

While some libertarians—including some of us at Reason—continue to be uncomfortable with aspects of Paul's ISIS plan (even though it's better than pretty much anyone else's ISIS plan, that's for sure), the senator deserves praise for breaking with many in the GOP and sticking to the freedom-maximizing position on Cuba. People who want to keep the socialist island nation trapped in desperate poverty—either because they believe the U.S. is still fighting the Cold War, or because of an irrational hatred of capitalism—should be on the defensive. Kudos to Paul for putting them there.

#RandPaul #MarcoRubio #Cuba