In politics, it’s been said, timing is everything. It seems that Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has learned the lesson well.

Today’s Big Read comes from Paul, who regularly shows up on the short list of 2016 GOP presidential contenders. The Daily Beast has posted a scathing essay by Paul, declaring that President Barack Obama’s decision to use military force against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria violates the 1973 War Powers Act. It’s not the first time Paul, a libertarian and tea party darling, has gone to the rhetorical mat (or hit the Senate debate floor) with the White House over the use of force overseas.