title: Rand Paul Goes on the Offensive Over the Iraq War 
authors: Melanie Batley
content: As 2016 presidential hopefuls continue to weigh in on the Iraq War , Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has put forward his noninterventionist view , implying a direct contrast with former Florida Gov . Jeb Bush . `` We 've had the same question repeatedly : is it a good idea to go in and topple a secular dictator and try to build a nation ? '' Paul said On CNN 's `` New Day '' Tuesday morning . `` Every time we 've toppled a secular dictator in the Middle East , we 've gotten something worse and less stable . `` `` It shows some differences between the candidates , '' Paul continued . `` If you want another Iraq War , you know who they can vote for . If they want somebody who will only go to war when it 's the last resort , when we have to defend America or American interests , there are going to be some other alternatives . `` Bush caused a media stir last week after telling Fox News ' Megyn Kelly that he would have authorized the Iraq War , not realizing that the question was based on hindsight . He subsequently made two different statements , refusing to answer a hypothetical , before finally saying that he would not have backed an invasion knowing the intelligence we have today . Paul said in an interview last week that invading Iraq was `` a mistake . `` `` I think every day we look at the mess of the chaos of the civil war in Iraq , I think every day people become more and more convinced that the war was a mistake , '' he told Politico . `` I think we have to learn from the mistakes of our past . '' A Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday found that 64 percent of likely voters feel a candidate 's position on the Iraq War is of significance while just 32 percent say that it is not important . Twenty-six percent say it is very important while just 8 percent say it is not at all important .
content_original: As 2016 presidential hopefuls continue to weigh in on the Iraq War, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has put forward his noninterventionist view, implying a direct contrast with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush."We've had the same question repeatedly: is it a good idea to go in and topple a secular dictator and try to build a nation?" Paul said On CNN's "New Day" Tuesday morning. "Every time we've toppled a secular dictator in the Middle East, we've gotten something worse and less stable.""It shows some differences between the candidates," Paul continued. "If you want another Iraq War, you know who they can vote for. If they want somebody who will only go to war when it's the last resort, when we have to defend America or American interests, there are going to be some other alternatives."Bush caused a media stir last week after telling Fox News' Megyn Kelly that he would have authorized the Iraq War, not realizing that the question was based on hindsight. He subsequently made two different statements, refusing to answer a hypothetical, before finally saying that he would not have backed an invasion knowing the intelligence we have today. Paul said in an interview last week that invading Iraq was "a mistake.""I think every day we look at the mess of the chaos of the civil war in Iraq, I think every day people become more and more convinced that the war was a mistake," he told Politico. "I think we have to learn from the mistakes of our past." A Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday found that 64 percent of likely voters feel a candidate's position on the Iraq War is of significance while just 32 percent say that it is not important. Twenty-six percent say it is very important while just 8 percent say it is not at all important.