While President Obama is busy preparing his strategy on how to deal with ISIS, G.O.P hopefuls try to set themselves apart in an effort to show there superiority on foreign policy. Senator Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are both first term senators like President Obama was before he was elected. Both of them have a lot to prove if they would like to be seen as viable candidates in 2016. They are all trying to throw their opinion out when it comes to dealing with ISIS
Rand Paul has been straying away from the view of his father Ron Paul, who is known as a strict Isolationist, when it comes to foreign policy. However, Paul is not trying to alienate his libertarian non-interventionist base. Paul claims that he is nor an interventionist or an isolationist, he believes that when there is a threat to the United States we must respond Constitutionally and with Strength. This echoes Reagan's philosophy of peace through strength. This means that he would go through congress to declare war and decide the actions that must be taken to destroy ISIS. This however is not a very clear insight as to what Paul would do in this situation, which may jeopardize his credibility when it comes to foreign policy.
Others like Ted Cruz have taken a very aggressive stance when it comes do dealing with ISIS. Cruz has suggested that we "bomb them (the Islamic State) back to the stone age." This may sound good to many conservatives who like a strong foreign policy, but it is not a comprehensive enough plan that will show he is knowledgeable on foreign policy to voters in 2016.
Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/us/politics/republicans-presidential-election-2016.html?ref=politics&_r=0
http://time.com/3268581/rand-paul-i-am-not-an-isolationist/
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/31/cruz-fires-up-conservatives-says-bomb-islamic-state-back-to-stone-age/
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