Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., may have succeeded in blocking Senate renewal of the National Security Agency's (NSA) authority to collect massive amounts of Americans' phone calls and emails, but he further annoyed some powerful members of his own party in the process.
Sen. John McCain, R-Az., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who has blasted Paul in the past as being a "wacko bird," took verbal shots at Paul during the Sunday debate, and told reporters, "I’ve said on many occasions that I believe that he would be the worst candidate that we could put forward, not just on the Patriot Act but on his views on national security,"
Roll Call reported.
McCain, incensed over Paul's moves to allow the Patriot Act to expire, also said, "I he obviously has a higher priority for his fundraising and political ambitions than for the security of the nation," Roll Call noted.
The name-calling between Paul and McCain has been going on for some time. On CNN's "State of the Union," McCain once said Paul "is part of a wing of the party that's been there ever since prior to World War I in our Republican Party, and that is a withdrawal to fortress America."
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Sunday, the bad blood between Paul and McCain boiled over again during Senate debate, when Paul, against Senate rules, attempted to get five minutes to speak.
"The senator from Kentucky needs to learn the rules of the Senate," an obviously irritated McCain said. "Maybe the senator from Kentucky should know the rules of the Senate."
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McCain, referring to Paul's attempts to let the Patriot Act expire, also griped, "The world is on fire, and we’re taking up precious days doing this," Roll Call reported.
McCain's reaction to Paul was reminiscent of Sen. Lindsey Graham's dramatic "eye roll" during Paul's earlier filibuster against extension of the Patriot Act. Following that, Paul called Graham a member of the "eye roll caucus,"
the Post and Courier reported.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., commented, "I think there aren’t very many people in Sen. Paul’s place that believe that none of these provisions need to be extended or held onto in some way,"
Politico reported.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said of Paul, "I think he’s nestled in with a very large bunch of very radical people from the left to the right. I don’t know if he feels comfortable being with all those leftists who hate the Patriot Act.
"But he has a right to do what he’s doing," Politico noted.