King: Paul presidency would be ‘disastrous’

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) on Wednesday said a successful White House campaign by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) would be “disastrous.”

In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” King was asked if he would be comfortable if Paul were commander-in-chief. 

“No, I wouldn’t. I think his views would be disastrous, Joe. I think he appeals to the lowest common denominator,” King said.

{mosads}Paul is embracing an isolationist swing reminiscent of the 1930s, King added. 

“Rand Paul brings it to a hysterical level. He talks about the CIA trying to kill Americans having coffee in Starbucks,” he said. “That, to me, is feeding into paranoia.” 

King said the United States needs to engage in an intelligent debate, but said he doesn’t think Paul is “capable” of having one.

The congressman’s sharp comments come a day after Paul wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post entitled “Foreign policy is no place for ‘red lines.’ ” 

Paul wrote that he does not support containment of Iran, but said all options should be on the table to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

All options should be on the table, including a military one, Paul said, but added that it’s not smart to disclose hypothetical plans to Iran.

“It is a dumb idea to announce to Iran that you would accept and contain that country if it were to become a nuclear power,” he wrote. “But it is equally dumb, dangerous and foolhardy to announce in advance how we would react to any nation that obtains nuclear weapons.”

Both King and Paul have expressed interest in possibly running for president in 2016.