'The alternative to U.S. [engagement] on the global stage is chaos,' Rubio says. | AP Photos Rubio splits with Paul on policy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio swung by Rand Paul’s home state here on Monday where he effectively made one thing clear: He’s no Rand Paul — particularly on foreign policy.

In a soaring speech on the University of Louisville campus, Rubio made the case for American military might around the world, vowing that the U.S cannot “retreat” from international conflicts, must encourage democracy and continue spending money overseas aimed at bolstering the country’s image. He didn’t mention Paul by name, other than when he corrected a questioner who thought a speech he delivered recently called for the elimination of the Department of Education.


“I actually think that was your other senator’s speech,” Rubio said as he flashed a grin, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sitting stoically behind him.

But Rubio’s remarks come just as Paul has been trying to clamp down on federal dollars spent on foreign aid and as the Kentucky freshman has been pushing for a “less aggressive” American role in the world — as the two prospective 2016 rivals continue to lay out competing visions of the GOP’s future.

“We can’t solve every humanitarian crisis on the planet, we can’t be involved in every dispute, every civil war and every conflict,” Rubio told a concert hall filled with young adults and middle-aged Kentucky voters. “But we also cannot retreat from the world. It’s not that America will continue to function as the world’s police officer. The problem is that like anything in the world: If you pull back from it, a vacuum will be created.”

Rubio added: “The alternative to U.S. [engagement] on the global stage is chaos.”

And as Paul — a fellow tea party favorite who, like Rubio, was elected in 2010 — has called for dramatic reductions in foreign aid at a time of huge deficits, Rubio pointed to post-World War II reconstruction efforts in Europe and U.S. taxpayer dollars spent to help eradicate AIDS in Africa as positive examples that bolster the U.S. image around the world.

“Every single time that nations have retreated from the world, every single time this nation has retreated from the world, we have paid for it in the long run,” Rubio said. “We have paid for it dearly.”

Rubio’s appearance here in the Bluegrass State came as part of a lecture series put on by this university’s McConnell Center, named after this college’s powerful alum in the Senate who has served for nearly three decades. Rubio is also joining McConnell at high-dollar private fundraisers Monday evening here in Louisville to help the GOP leader’s reelection bid next year.

Rubio’s remarks — just under an hour, which he delivered from just one crumpled-up page of notes — came across as a sweeping stump speech, touching on virtually every topic in Washington, including typical GOP dogma over limited government, lower taxes and business-friendly regulations. He stayed away from attacking Democrats here at this progressive campus, instead referring to the White House vaguely as “some people in Washington” when he criticized their calls to raise taxes on the rich.

As he’s negotiating with a bipartisan group of senators on an immigration overhaul, Rubio made the case for more foreign workers into the United States - and he made clear that he was only in the ninth grade when the country enacted immigration policies in the mid-1980s that critics say led to an influx of illegal immigrants.

As Republicans have been losing support from middle-class voters, Rubio made an aggressive appeal to that bloc, both in personal and policy terms. Rubio spent considerable time talking about his upbringing, the son of Cuban immigrants and working-class parents. He said every poor child should have the opportunity to attend “any” college of their parents’ choice, and he condemned those who “stigmatize” people with working-class jobs, like plumbers or carpenters.

Seeking to sympathize with this university crowd, Rubio said the “student loan crisis” is the “next big bubble” bound to burst, and he pointed to his own $100,000-plus in student loans from college and law school. Rubio said he has now been able to pay off that debt from sales of his 2012 book, “An American Son.”

“Now available in paperback,” he joked.

Rubio made no mention of a possible White House run, but McConnell joked that Rubio’s career was so promising that he may soon consider buying a vacation home in Iowa.