Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, and the Kentucky Senate Race

ABC News’ Teddy Davis reports: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) recently endorsed Rand Paul, the son of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, in his bid to be the Republican Senate nominee from Kentucky. Over the weekend, during her interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Palin was asked to defend Rand Paul’s positions on closing Guantanamo, repealing the Patriot Act, against federal regulation of marriage, and ending federal regulation of drug laws. Palin, who mistakenly referred to Rand Paul as Ron Paul, defended her candidate as a federalist. She then seemed to indicate that she did not see eye to eye with him on everything by adding that “nobody’s ever going to find a perfect candidate.” Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, the Republican running against Rand Paul in the GOP Senate primary, has now issued this press release saying: “Sarah Palin Refuses to Defend Ron and Rand Paul’s Dangerous Positions.” “No wonder she mixed them up.  Ron and Rand’s positions on closing Guantanamo Bay, leaving Iraq and Afghanistan, the attacks on September 11th , and drug enforcement are identical, and dangerous,” said Grayson campaign manager Nate Hodson. Republicans Rand Paul and Trey Grayson are running for the GOP nomination for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Jim Bunning, who is retiring. Here is the transcript excerpt from Fox News Sunday: WALLACE:  You recently stirred up some controversy, as you often
do, even your — when you endorsed Rand Paul as the Senate — he's
running in the Senate primary for — in Kentucky, the GOP  Senate
primary.
    And Bill Kristol, your longtime supporter, was upset with you
because one of the things he pointed out — Paul wants to close
Guantanamo.  He wants to send the detainees back to Afghanistan.  He
wants to repeal the Patriot Act.  He wants to do away with any federal
role in either gay marriage or drug laws, leave it to the states.
   
    PALIN:  Well, because…
   
    WALLACE:  Why would you support a…
   
    PALIN:  … because he's a…
   
    WALLACE:  … guy like that?
   
    PALIN:  … he's a federalist and he wants the states to have
more say in — as we respect the Tenth Amendment in our Constitution.
He wants the states to have more say in a lot of the issues.
   
    But nobody's ever going to find a perfect candidate.  There are
things that I don't agree with Ron Paul and yet his domestic
policies, for the most part, I do agree with.  He wants limited
government.  He wants the feds to start taking their hands off states'
issues.
   
    And I respect that and I'm proud to support him — again, never
finding a perfect candidate.  No doubt, he disagrees with me on a
whole lot of issues, but — proud to support him and others whom I can
believe in. ## UPDATE: Rand Paul Camp Clarifies His Stance on Guantanamo Rand Paul adviser Jesse Benton contacts ABC News and notes that the candidate is not in favor of closing Guantanamo as suggested by Chris Wallace on the Fox News Channel. "His position is that we should keep it open, and we should try all prisoners there in military tribunals," said Benton. For Guantanamo detainees who are found innocent in military tribunals, "Rand says we should return them to their country of origin, but keep Gitmo open and not bring terror suspects to U.S. soil."