Jennifer Jacobs

jejacobs@dmreg.com

Rand Paul grooves on 19th-century dramatic Russian literature, but he's not sure exactly what model of car he drives.

He's not big on hunting, but the idea of stalking some alligators in Louisiana piques his interest.

He exercises for the therapeutic benefits to the mind and body. But on a visit to an ancient fortress during a spiritual journey through Israel, he was too nervous about heights to look over the edge at the quarter-mile drop to the Dead Sea.

Paul is a U.S. senator from Kentucky, a likely 2016 presidential contender and a favorite of evangelical Christians and tea party conservatives in Iowa.

Before his speech at the Republican state convention on June 14, he shared some details about his personal life in an interview with The Des Moines Register.

Q. What is your dream job?

A. "Eye surgeon."

Q. What were you planning to do for Father's Day?

A. "Swimming pool, maybe a little golf with my son."

Q. What kind of car do you drive?

A. "A Mazda. I don't know what it's called. It's a (Mazda) 3 or something. It's just a little hatchback."

Q. How often do you go hunting?

A. "I go occasionally, like shooting skeet or something. But I'm not really much of a hunter. … I have been invited (to Louisiana), and this will be my first hunting excursion to hunt alligators." (He was referring to U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry's alligator hunt fundraiser this summer, but aides later told the Register that Paul "unfortunately won't be able to attend" because of a scheduling conflict.)

Q. How do you get your exercise?

A. "Treadmill, bike, swimming. Every day — at least one of them, probably."

Q. How do you unwind after a typical day at work?

A. "Exercise, bike, swim. I think it helps. Exercise has a restorative process, not just for the body but for the mind."

Q. What's your favorite book?

A. " 'The Brothers Karamazov.' " (This Russian novel, completed in 1880 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, is "a satire of human corruption, a meditation on faith and religious institutions in an age of skepticism, a murder mystery involving love triangles, a courtroom thriller and in the end a testament to the goodness and bravery humans are capable of," according to a reviewer on Amazon.com.)

Q. And do you have a favorite movie?

A. "I can't — you've got me stumped there."

Q. Any little phobias (spiders, heights, etc.)?

A. "Last year I went to Israel and they couldn't get me to go to the edge of Masada. I went on top of Masada but going right to the very precipice wasn't my favorite thing."

(Masada is a rugged fortress atop cliffs that overlook the Dead Sea. "It is a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, its violent destruction and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army, in 73 A.D.," according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.)

(When Paul made the trip to the Middle East in January 2013, he was accompanied by some Christian conservative leaders, including Iowans Tamara Scott, a representative to the Republican National Committee, and the Rev. Brad Sherman of Coralville.)

Q. Do you have a favorite food?

A. "Artichokes. No, I'm just kidding. I don't know."