Rubio slams Paul, the ‘chief cheerleader’ of Obama’s foreign policy

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who in the wake of developments with Cuba called President Barack Obama the “worst negotiator” since Jimmy Carter has a new nickname for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul: “Chief cheerleader.”

Rubio was on “This Week” on Sunday morning to respond to criticism from his fellow Republicans, and took a shot a potential 2016 presidential rival.

“Rand, if he wants to become the chief cheerleader of Obama’s foreign policy, he certainly has a right to do that,” Rubio told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “I’m going to continue to oppose the Obama-Paul foreign policy on Cuba because I know it won’t lead to freedom and liberty for the Cuban people, which is my sole interest here.”

Paul had previously said Rubio’s position on Cuba showed he was “acting like an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat.”

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Rubio said he’s OK with changing the policy toward Cuba, but just doesn’t agree with how Obama is going about doing it.

“I want closer ties with Cuba, as well, but those closer ties have to come about as a result of a policy that will also ultimately lead to freedom. And that’s my problem with what the president’s done here. It’s not that I simply want to continue to do what we’ve been doing. I’m OK with changing policy toward Cuba,” Rubio said.

“But it has to be a policy change that has a reasonable chance of achieving freedom — freedom for the Cuban people. And I just don’t think this pol… — no, let me rephrase that. I know that this policy change that the president has now undertaken will not lead to freedom,” he added.

On Sunday afternoon, Paul fired back at Rubio via Twitter: