Connie Mack aligns himself with Rand Paul and Senate minority in cutting funds to Middle Eastern countries

Arizona Sen. John McCain blasted Paul and all of his other GOP colleagues for supporting such a measure, saying, "Of course I think it would be incredibly foolish. Only someone who doesn't understand anything about that part of the world would suggest such idiocy," he said.


Paul's amendment would stop $4 billion a year in U.S. aid from going toward Egypt, Libya and Pakistan.


In his press release announcing the ad (as well as a similar one now running in West Virginia for the GOP senate candidate facing Democrat Joe Manchin), Paul said, "Our country is $16 trillion in debt and faces yet another trillion-dollar deficit. It makes no sense to send our hared-earned [sic] taxpayer dollars overseas, especially to countries with hostile governments that hate us."

Our relations with the government of Pakistan have ebbed so low that the U.S. government expressed little outrage after a Pakistani tribal court found the doctor who helped the CIA effort to locate Osama bin Laden guilty of treason, sentencing him to 33 years in prison.

But the U.S. Senate continues to provide financial aid to that country — theoretically still an ally of ours — for fighting against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

The U.S. also continues to fund Egypt and Libya, despite their recent violence against our embassies, and despite Bill O'Reilly, critics of Islam, and Tea Partiers calling for it to stop.

Last month, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul proposed an amendment to end financial aid to those countries.

He was joined by only nine of his colleagues, while 81 Senators voted to continue funding, including Florida Democrat Bill Nelson.

A new ad released today in Florida by Paul's political action committee in support of Republican Senate candidate Connie Mack IV blasts Nelson for his vote, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority agreed with the Florida Democratic Senator, including a majority of Republicans (Marco Rubio did not vote on the issue).

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