Rand Paul Will Release A Book Ahead Of His Potential Presidential Bid

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Rand Paul

AP

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) is currently penning a new book with a release date that could coincide with his hotly debated decision to seek - or turn away from - a 2016 presidential bid.

Paul told the Courier-Journal he would make a final decision about whether to make a run at the White House in early 2015. He also said the book will be released around that same time. When questioned about the timing by the newspaper, Paul reportedly "chuckled" and said it was "just coincidence, probably just coincidence, yeah."

In an interview with The Courier-Journal published Tuesday, Paul revealed the books's potential subtitle: "Beyond Partisanship." He went on to say that the book will seek to go "beyond the left-right paradigm." The book's themes seem very much in keeping with Paul's libertarian branding.

The senator has broken ranks with some of his fellow Republicans, especially in regard to foreign policy, where his views have been called "isolationist" by other members of the GOP who have a more aggressive stance on intervention abroad.

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Paul defended President Obama for the current turmoil in Iraq in June, noting he "[doesn't] blame President Obama," but rather, supporters of the Iraq War such as Republican Dick Cheney. However, in a separate interview about the book with The Hill, Paul touted his GOP bonafides and noted he "sided with some of the most conservative members of the Senate on areas of regulation and fiscal responsibility and taxation."

The book, which Paul says will focus on policy, will be the Senator's third foray into authorship.

Paul was struck with a plagiarism scandal surrounding his 2012 book, "Government Bullies," in which multiple passages were found to be taken from conservative think tanks, including the Cato Institute, without correct attribution. At the time, Paul dismissed the criticism and blamed the flap on "hacks and haters" in an interview with George Stephanopoulos. Paul has also faced accusations he plagiarized portions of his speeches, and he has begun to publish the footnotes of his public remarks due to heightened scrutiny.