Sen. Marco Rubio took a hawkish tone in a major foreign policy speech Wednesday, taking sides in an internal Republican Party debate with an eye on the 2016 presidential election.
In the speech sponsored by the Concerned Veterans for America, the Florida Republican called for more defense spending and more intervention abroad.
“The world needs American strength just as much as our people and our economy do. No other nation can deter global conflict by its presence alone,” Rubio said.
Without naming names, Rubio then called out “many leaders in both parties, including our president and some who aspire to be president” for picking favorable polling numbers over demonstrating “the leadership necessary to change them” — a seeming dig at Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who has called for less American involvement overseas.
Paul has criticized “hawkish members” of the Republican Party for their support of involvement overseas which he says has created some of the problems the U.S. now faces.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is also considering a run for the White House, has also taken a hawkish stance, while New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has avoided the topic.
In the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Christie is currently in the lead, Paul in third, Perry in sixth and Rubio in seventh place.
