Is Rand Paul Just Another Neocon Stooge?

Via the Corner, Anti-war Republican Ron Paul has issued a statement saying that the opposition to the Ground Zero mosque "is all about hate and Islamaphobia."

According to Paul, opposition to the mosque is driven by "the neo-conservatives who demand continual war in the Middle East and Central Asia and are compelled to constantly justify it. They never miss a chance to use hatred toward Muslims to rally support for the ill conceived preventative wars." Paul says:

The debate should have provided the conservative defenders of property rights with a perfect example of how the right to own property also protects the 1st Amendment rights of assembly and religion by supporting the building of the mosque.

Instead, we hear lip service given to the property rights position while demanding that the need to be “sensitive” requires an all-out assault on the building of a mosque, several blocks from “ground zero.”

Ron's son Rand, currently a GOP Senate candidate in Kentucky, has come out against the mosque:

"While this is a local matter that should be decided by the people of New York, Dr. Paul does not support a mosque being built two blocks from Ground Zero," Paul spokesperson Gary Howard told TPMDC. "In Dr. Paul's opinion, the Muslim community would better serve the healing process by making a donation to the memorial fund for the victims of September 11th."

So, is Rand Paul just another neocon stooge to his father?