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U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., came under fire this week from presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for a vote against a National Security Agency reform bill last year.

CNN reported Thursday that Cruz said Paul stalled NSA reform efforts by voting against the bill. He described Paul, a Bowling Green resident, as a good friend but said his vote against the bill was unfortunate.

Ill tell you, (Sen.) Mike Lee and I were both deeply dismayed that it was our single best chance to end the bulk collection of metadata, Cruz said, according to CNN.

In November, Paul talked to the Daily News about his vote on bill, saying he was torn about it.

Paul said at the time that while the NSA reform bill sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would have done some good things, it would also have reauthorized some provisions of the Patriot Act through 2017. That act, Paul noted, is what allowed such collection of information to happen in the first place.

It was one of those situations where youre torn, he said. Cruz last week became the first major contender to officially announce his candidacy for president.

Paul is expected to announce his run Tuesday during a rally at the Galt House in Louisville. He has mostly stayed out of the media spotlight this week, declining to issue comments to some national media organizations about topics including Indianas religious freedom law and a nuclear deal with Iran, according to the Huffington Post.

Paul representatives said he is spending time with family and not doing media interviews this week, according to the Huffington Post.

While his social media platforms have also been relatively quiet, Paul retweeted a story Thursday from NationalJournal about supersecret smartphones used by the Defense Department. His account toutedwww.nationaljournal.com/tech/nsa-smartphone-pentagon-20150331 as a must read.

Cruz has had success in fundraising since his announcement. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Cruz has raised $4 million since launching his campaign. His campaign said 95 percent of contributions came in amounts of $100 or less.

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Paul draws fire from Cruz

Sen. Rand Paul walks into the Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana/ Kentucky office in Bowling Green, Ky., on Monday, March 23, 2015, where he gave a speech and answered questions.(Photo: AP)

WASHINGTON When Sen. Rand Paul spoke in February to a conservative gathering just outside the nation's capital, the Kentucky Republican promised to propose a tax cut.

But not just any tax cut "the largest tax cut in American history," Paul told the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The details of his plan would be revealed "in the coming weeks," he said.

Now, as he prepares to announce a White House bid, Paul's vision of what amounts to a massive taxpayer refund from a government he wants to make smaller is certain to be a centerpiece of his campaign.

THE COURIER-JOURNAL

What it takes really to run for president

Paul who is expected to announce his bid Tuesday at Louisville's Galt House cut his political teeth on the theme of reducing the size of government and slashing spending. His tea party-backed candidacy for the Senate in 2010 was successful largely because he adhered to that message.

But based on his talking points during his travels around the country over the past couple of years, taxes, spending and the role of government are just some of the issues likely to form the core of his bid.

The senator's overall message, as he articulated in his response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in January, is that "all is not well in America. America is adrift."

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Rand Paul views, from tax cuts to Iran talks

Jalapeno challenge with the Libertarian baseball team
One of our fans stepped out to the bar with us and this is tradition to eat a cup of pickled jalapeos and tabasco sauce.

By: Libertarian Vandweller

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Jalapeno challenge with the Libertarian baseball team - Video

Senator Lindsey Graham isnt the biggest fan of his more libertarian colleagues, but he insists that their differences are only tactical and believes they have lots of common ground to work from.

In an interview with The Gazette this week, Graham talks about his potential 2016 candidacy and talks up his ability to solve hard problems. He says his philosophy is All right, if I get 80 percent of what I want, thats a good day.

Some of Grahams views, especially his foreign policy hawkishness, dont exactly make him the favorite of more libertarian Republicans, but he has this to say in response:

Libertarians want smaller government. Count me in. Libertarians want oversight of government programs and making sure that your freedoms are not easily compromised. Count me in. Ted Cruz wants to fight Obamacare. Count me in What we wind up doing is having tactical differences.

The difference, as Graham put it, is that I want to fix it rather than yell about it.

One of Grahams House colleagues, Republican Justin Amash, responded to some of what he said:

[h/t Reason] [image via Frank Plitt]

Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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Lindsey Graham: Im with Libertarians, but I Want to Fix Problems, Not Just Yell

Intolerant, hate filled progressives attack the O #39;Conner family and Memories Pizzeria.
People who tend to be full of hate tend to not think clearly in their actions. How the progressive left has reacted to the cut and edit hit piece by the local ABC affiliate in Indiana on the...

By: xpandergt

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Intolerant, hate filled progressives attack the O'Conner family and Memories Pizzeria. - Video