(Newser) – Rand Paul has had quite enough of the "hacks and haters" stirred up about where his speeches come from, and Politico reports that he'd like to settle it like gentlemen of yore: "I take it as an insult, and I will not lie down and say people can call me dishonest, misleading or misrepresenting," he told ABC's This Week. "I have never intentionally done so and like I say, 'If dueling were legal in Kentucky, if they keep it up, you know it’d be a duel challenge." Paul blamed "the footnote police," and said that "the spoken word shouldn't be held to the same sort of standard" as scientific papers.

"Is that nitpicking?" he continued. "Is referring to the person enough, or do I have to refer to the original source where I got the quote from the person? If it’s required, I’ll do it, but I think I’m being unfairly targeted by a bunch of hacks and haters, and I’m just not going to put up with people casting aspersions on my character." (Read more Rand Paul stories.)

