Ron Paul vs Rand Paul for President?

Last week, during an interview with ABC news, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) suggested that a presidential run may lie in his political future. This week, it is his father who is making headlines. USA Today reports that Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) will participate in The Family Leader's Iowa-based presidential lecture series on March 7, 2011. Could New Hampshire's 2012 Republican presidential primary feature a Ron Paul vs Rand Paul match up?

All signs point to "No". As Rand Paul noted in his interview with ABC News, he's only been in Washington for about a month now. If he's going to run for president, it would make sense for him to wait until 2016. Strategically speaking, it seems unlikely that he is ready to take on his dad, who has spent decades building a nationwide network of grassroots supporters. At least for now, Rand Paul's political future seems inextricably tied to the Ron Paul Nation. He simply can't afford to alienate his father's supporters.

Rand Paul for President 2012? ABC News Video

Yesterday, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) told ABC News that he would willing to run for president "if nominated". At the same time, he said that it was too early for him to considering running for president and to "Come back and ask me in a few months."

During the interview, Paul sounded a lot like his father, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX),   did during his 2008 bid for the presidency. Rand Paul spoke critically of the war in Afghanistan, questioning whether 100,000 troops were needed to take on 100 Al Qaeda fighters. Interestingly, he chose to frame his remarks using the phrase, "If I were an individual running for president..." He also voiced his disapproval for U.S. involvement in nation building and foreign aid in general.

A few Facebook pages have popped up urging Rand Paul to run for president in 2012 or 2016. The largest, "Rand Paul for President 2016" currently has 181 members.