Rand Paul: 'The Greatest Threat To Our National Security Is Our Debt'

Rand Paul: 'The Greatest Threat to Our National Security Is Our Debt'

By Susan Jones | December 16, 2015 | 6:12 AM EST

(CNSNews.com) - While Syria, Russia and other national security issues featured prominently in Tuesday's Republican debate, only one candidate brought up the nation's crushing debt load.

"The greatest threat to our national security is our debt," Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in his closing statement. "We borrow a million dollars a minute. And whose fault is it? Well, frankly, it's both parties' fault.

"You have those on the right who clamor and say, oh, we will spend anything on the military, and those on the left who say the same for domestic welfare.But what most Americans don't realize is there is an unholy alliance. They come together. There's a secret handshake. We spend more money on everything. And we are not stronger nation if we go further into debt. We are not projecting power from bankruptcy court.

"To me, there is no greater threat than our debt. I'm the only fiscal conservative on the stage because I'm willing to hold the line on all spending," Paul concluded.

The other candidates, in their 30-second closing statements, chose to discuss other issues, as excerpted below, and in the following order:

Ohio Gov. John Kasich: "No Republican has ever been elected president of the United States without winning Ohio. Let me give you a little tip on how you win Ohio, it's reform, it's hope, it's growth, it's opportunity, and it's security."

N.J. Gov. Chris Christie: "Terrorism -- radical jihadist terrorism is not theoretical to me. It's real. And for seven years, I spent my life protecting our country against another one of those attacks. ...I will protect America from the wars that are being brought to our door step."

Carly Fiorina: "...We need to unify our party, we need a real Conservative in the White House, and we need to beat Hillary Clinton to take our country back and keep our nation safe."

Jeb Bush: "...Hillary Clinton has aligned herself with Barack Obama on ISIS, Iran and the economy. It's an alliance doomed to fail. My proven record suggests that -- my detailed plans will fortify our national and economic security. And my proven record as governor makes -- will give you a sense that I don't make false promises. I deliver real results."

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.): "...This election is about electing a president that will restore our economic vibrancy so that the American dream can expand to reach more people and change more lives than ever before. And rebuild our Military and our intelligence programs so that we can remain the strongest nation on earth."

Sen. Ted Cruz: "...Ronald Reagan reignited the American economy, rebuilt the Military, bankrupted the Soviet Union and defeated Soviet Communism. I will do the same thing. Cutting taxes, cutting regulation, unleashing small businesses and rebuilding the Military to defeat radical Islamic terrorism -- our strategy is simple. We win, they lose."

Ben Carson: "I've been fortunate enough to travel to 58 different countries and I thank God everyday that I was born in this country...And I want to make sure that we preserve that exceptionalism for the next generation. My mother told me if I work hard and I really believed in American principles and I believed in God, anything is possible. I believe that is true, and that's why I'm not anxious to give away American values and principles for the sake of political correctness."

Donald Trump: "Our country doesn't win anymore. We don't win on trade. We don't win on the military. We can't defeat ISIS. We're not taking care of our great people, the veterans. We're not taking care of them. We have to change our whole way, our health care system is a disaster. It's going to implode in 2017, just like you're sitting there. It doesn't work. Nothing works in our country. If I'm elected president, we will win again. We will win a lot. And we're going to have a great, great country, greater than ever before."