It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
RAND PAUL Republican U.S. senator from Kentucky gave this answer to an Iowan's question at a private fundraiser on Feb. 7 organized by GOP business leader Steve Sukup in Ames
"I think we do now have to do something about ISIS. I said this a year ago when I voted against sending weapons into the mess that is the Syrian civil war.
I said, 'The great irony is that we're going to be back in again.' ... I'm troubled by the fact that we'll be back — it's a thousand-year war between the Sunnis and the Shiites.
We're going to be back in the middle of a war that has no answer.
"I'm troubled by the fact that I think ISIS grew stronger as we put more and more weapons into the Syrian civil war.
One CIA agent said the only thing moderate about the Syrian rebels is their ability to fight. ...
We dropped off weapons to the moderate rebels and ISIS took them, and now ISIS has most of the weapons.
In contrast, I think the Kurds are a good fighting force, and I would give weapons to the Kurds.
I think they will fight for their homeland. I'd give them more of a homeland.
I'd give them a little more of Iraq and a little more of northern Syria and say, 'Go to town. Fight ISIS, and when you're done, you get the land.'
People say — many in our party: 'There have to be boots on the ground.' I agree.
I want the boots on the ground to be Iraqi, Turks, Kurds, Saudis.
The Saudis ... have been funding radical Islam throughout the Middle East. ... Saudi Arabia, if they want to be our ally, if they want to do trade with us, they need to behave.
They need to quit funding radical Islam.
They need to get involved. I want to see 20,000 troops from Saudi Arabia, wiping out ISIS.
"The key to getting Turks involved is there needs to be peace between the Turks and the Kurds.
If our president was any kind of leader, he'd be trying to figure out how to get Turks and the Kurds to declare peace so they then could wipe out ISIS. ...
We can help, our Air Force can help, but I don't want to see the troops back in."
originally posted by: AngryCymraeg
a reply to: ~Lucidity
Can someone please mail an atlas to Rand Paul? As, you know, Saudi Arabia doesn't share a border with Syria.
originally posted by: mister.old.school
Perhaps Mr. Paul should have said, "We never should have funded radical Islam, but now we need to clean up the mess we made."
originally posted by: AngryCymraeg
a reply to: ~Lucidity
Can someone please mail an atlas to Rand Paul? As, you know, Saudi Arabia doesn't share a border with Syria.
originally posted by: UnBreakable
originally posted by: AngryCymraeg
a reply to: ~Lucidity
Can someone please mail an atlas to Rand Paul? As, you know, Saudi Arabia doesn't share a border with Syria.
My reading comprehension must be really off today. I can't seem to find exactly where Rand Paul says Saudi Arabia shares a border with Syria. Please point it out to me.
originally posted by: AngryCymraeg
originally posted by: UnBreakable
originally posted by: AngryCymraeg
a reply to: ~Lucidity
Can someone please mail an atlas to Rand Paul? As, you know, Saudi Arabia doesn't share a border with Syria.
My reading comprehension must be really off today. I can't seem to find exactly where Rand Paul says Saudi Arabia shares a border with Syria. Please point it out to me.
How are they going to get to Syria then? Fly?
originally posted by: AngryCymraeg
How are they going to get to Syria then? Fly?