Paul: Just war? Think of wounded veterans first

Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul shared a personal side to war Friday when he spoke about the people he thinks of when asked whether going to war is just.

Paul was asked at the Presidential Family Forum to recall a time when someone convinced him to change his stance on a certain issue.

The Kentucky senator said he and his wife, Kelley, helped build a home for a wounded veteran who lost both legs and an arm in battle. The veteran told Paul he joined the military to defend the Bill of Rights and the Constitution — a recurring theme in Paul’s presidential bid. It has in turn “made me think every day about whether or not we go to war,” Paul said.

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“I don’t take that lightly, and I do think of him and other wounded veterans when I make that decision,” he said. Paul said he does not agree with the president’s decision to send troops into the Middle East without Congress’ approval and said he would never go to war without a formal declaration.

The senator recalled the story while wearing a red bracelet on his left wrist. The widow of an Iraq war veteran gave it to Paul with her husband’s dog tag information engraved on it. Eleanor May, his press secretary, says he wears it “as a reminder that sending young men and women to war is the most important decision he will face as a lawmaker.”

Paul also attacked Democrats for being “politically correct” about abortion, saying Republicans have “been pushed, been bullied and been beaten down” for even mentioning it as an issue. He said lawmakers can’t be “afraid of political correctness” and can bring the “sanctity of life” forward as a priority.

“We’ve got them if we’ll fight back,” he said. “We’re going to make them defend that 7-pound babies have no rights a minute before they’re born. We can win the battle.”