Summary: The past week has proven what a difficult road to the top it will be for Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. Sen. Paul has been at the forefront of Republican politics over the last month or so- being a champion for nearly every conservative cause that arises in the news cycle. Yet, the Senator's decision to vote in favor of confirming Chuck Hagel as the President's Secretary of Defense has been met with scorn and outrage by some pundits. The liberty movement (myself included) had some negative feelings about Rand's original objection to Sen. Hagel- a man whose record and resume is far superior to any of the hacks who served for the Bush administration. No, Senate Republicans took issue with the man's rhetoric in regards to Israel and some unsubstantiated rumors. Nevertheless, I believe Sen. Paul made the right decision, as he knows the real fight must be saved for incoming CIA director John Brennan (aka Mr. Drone). You have to pick your battles- and I fear that the average right-wing reactionary will never grasp that. Links to the original media sources are included in the file description; included audio can be heard in the order listed below: <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <blockquote> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(0:00) <a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2013/02/20/we_re_talking_about_pennies_folks" target="_blank">RUSH LIMBAUGH</a>: Gotta Hand It To Rand Paul! - "We're Talking About Pennies, Folks." Video archived at <a href="http://dailyrushbo.com/rush-gotta-hand-it-to-rand-paul-hes-out-there-explaining-sequester-only-cuts-rate-of-growth/" target="_blank">DailyRushbo.com</a>. (2/20)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(4:23) Republican US Senator from Kentucky talks about guns, sequestration, immigration reform on <a href="http://www.800wvhu.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?podcast=tomroten&selected_podcast=RandPaul022113_1361559591_5124.mp3" target="_blank">News Talk 800 WVHU's</a> (Huntington, WV) <em>The Tom Roten Morning Show</em>. (2/21)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(14:17) <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45755884/vp/50948897#50948897" target="_blank">MSNBC's</a> Al Sharpton asks: Does the GOP Need a Fresh Face? The Left analyzes the GOPs 2016 contenders. (2/25)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(22:21) Republicans call Obama's bluff on spending cuts - Rand Paul joins <a href="http://video.foxnews.com/v/2189394389001/republicans-call-obamas-bluff-on-spending-cuts/" target="_blank">FNC's</a> Sean Hannity. (2/25)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(30:00) <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2013/2/26/headlines/paul_threatens_hold_on_brennan_vote_over_assassination_program" target="_blank"><em>Democracy Now</em></a>: Paul Threatens Hold on Brennan Vote over Assassination Program. (2/26)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(31:56) Anarchy v. Totalitarianism - The New Left Right Scale? <a href="http://www.glennbeck.com/2013/02/26/anarchy-v-totalitarian-the-new-right-left-scale/" target="_blank">Glenn Beck</a> tackles statism in the GOP. (2/26)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(42:11) Senate Confirms Hagel as Pentagon Chief. Zachary Toombs reports for <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/senate-confirms-hagel-as-pentagon-chief/" target="_blank">Newsy.com</a>. (2/26)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(43:30) <a href="http://stevedeace.com/headline/deace-show-podcast-02-26-13/" target="_blank">Steve Deace</a>: Did a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate cast a vote today that could come back to haunt him later? (2/26)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(1:03:38) Confessions of a Neo-Conservative - WSB Radio's (Atlanta, GA) Monica Perez on Irving Krystol, Why GOP Leaders Always Suck! (2/26)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(1:37:14) Sen. Rand Paul cuts government a check for $600K - Appears on <a href="http://video.foxnews.com/v/2193185061001/sen-rand-paul-cuts-government-a-check-for-600k/" target="_blank">Fox News'</a> <em>America's Newsroom</em> with Bill Hemmer. (2/27)</p> <br> <p class="MsoNormal">(1:</p> </blockquote>
