CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Presidential elections start in Iowa. 

On Friday, Sen. Rand Paul put his stake in the ground for a possible run in 2016 by mocking the Obama administration and delivering a blistering critique of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. The administration has been criticized for failing to provide security during the attack and for its characterization of the incident afterward.

Speaking at the Iowa GOP’s annual Lincoln Dinner, Paul questioned the initial response to the attacks and asked, "First question to Hillary Clinton: Where in the hell were the Marines?"

Matthew Holst / AP

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has his photo taken with Linda Stikle of Anamosa, Iowa, after he spoke at the Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner on Friday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"It was inexcusable, it was a dereliction of duty, and it should preclude her from holding higher office," the Kentucky Republican added to loud applause.

Republicans' search for a candidate to deliver their first victory in a presidential election since 2004 began as Paul used the plum speaking slot to plant the seeds for his own possible bid. And he won his biggest applause by taking on Clinton, who's seen as the early front-runner for the Democratic nomination to succeed President Barack Obama.

Paul was just elected to the Senate in 2010 and is perhaps best known as the son of the former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, whose two campaigns for president attracted a fervent, grassroots following that might translate to his son.

But the Kentucky senator has been far from shy about stoking speculation about his own play for the Republican nomination in 2016. He told reporters earlier Friday that he had not made up his mind and would not decide until 2014.

The fundraiser on Friday had unmistakable overtones of a presidential campaign, though the last one ended just six months ago. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, captured that sentiment best in his speech preceding Paul's: "The process of selecting the next leader of the free world begins in Iowa, and it's already begun."

Paul's speech doubled at times as a comedy scene, as he seemed at ease before the crowd, stepping away from the podium, microphone in hand, to project a casual demeanor. He rattled off jokes about absurd pork-barrel projects, recalling the campaign style of Arizona Sen. John McCain as he ran for president in 2008.

But Paul also used his closely watched speech to offer his own prescriptions about the path forward for the Republican Party, which has been suffering from somewhat of an identity crisis since Mitt Romney lost to Obama in last fall's election.

On no issue is that crisis more clear than immigration. A bipartisan bill has advanced in the Senate to allow undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship, but King and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, both railed against the proposal in their speeches before Paul's.

Paul has spoken in favor of some kind of immigration reform, a dicey topic before this Republican crowd, and he acknowledged those disagreements. But he also tried to align himself with King and Grassley — two of the most stalwart opponents of immigration reform.

"I'm also with Sen. Grassley and Congressman King on the fact that I think we were hoodwinked in 1968," he said, referencing the last time Congress passed a major immigration overhaul. "We were promised security, and it never came."

But Paul also said there's a "chance [he] could vote for the bill" if he can add amendments strengthening its border security measures.

Paul also spoke about broadening the party's appeal, namely to Latinos, African Americans and young voters.

"We're an increasingly diverse nation, and I think we do need to reach out to other people that aren't like us, don't look like us, don't wear the same clothes, that aren't exactly who we are," he said. "We're going to have to do something."

Related stories

• Clinton remains GOP focus as administration defends Benghazi talking points
• Iowa governor to 2016 hopefuls: 'Come early and often'

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is asking the White House and State Department to hand over emails related to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya, which House committees were able to see, but not keep or share, during their investigation into the response to the attack.

"Last I remember, the president said, and I'll quote, 'Would be happy to cooperate with the Congress in any way the Congress wants,'" Boehner said. "Well, this is his chance to show his cooperation so that we can get to the truth of what happened in Benghazi."

Boehner is asking for two sets of emails, both of which are related to whether the White House tried to change the initial characterization of the attack in Benghazi from a potential terrorist attack at the hands of Islamic radicalists to a spontaneous demonstration in response to an anti-Islam YouTube video.

The emails, according to Boehner, show a senior State Department official telling her superiors that the Libyan ambassador said the attack "was conducted by Islamic terrorists." This email was sent the day after the attack, which was days before U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said on Meet the Press and other Sunday news shows that it was the result of a spontaneous demonstration.

The second set of emails, Boehner said, were between the White House and State Department officials, where they "insisted on removing all references to the terrorist attack to protect the State Department for providing inadequate security."

Asked if he thought the White House was lying about the response to the attack, Boehner said, "You can characterize it any way you want, but somebody clearly decided they didn't like the references to Islamic terrorism and made changes in this document."

Boehner's comments come after an emotional House committee hearing Wednesday into the Obama administration’s response to the attack, in which Gregory Hicks -- the former deputy chief of mission in Libya for the United States and the No. 2 diplomat there -- provided testimony saying he was "stunned" when the Obama administration was still claiming the attack was related to the viral anti-Islam video when they had been told otherwise.

"My jaw dropped, and I was embarrassed," Hicks told the committee Wednesday when he was asked about Rice's comments on the talk shows. 

Hicks told the committee he asked Undersecretary of State Beth Jones after Rice's interviews why they were saying "there was a demonstration when the embassy had reported only an attack."

Hicks said Jones answered by saying, "I don't know," but "the sense I got was that I needed to stop the line of questioning."

This story was originally published on Thu May 9, 2013 12:56 PM EDT

In an indicator of the continued influence of the nation’s largest gun-owners’ group, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and other Republican politicians addressed the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Houston Friday, celebrating the defeat of gun legislation in the Senate, assailing the media, and offering a strong defense of the powerful lobbying organization.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 3, 2013 in Houston, Texas.

Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, delivered a wide-ranging attack not just on President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and other proponents of gun control measures, but on what she portrayed as attempts to curtail all personal freedoms.

In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shootings, Palin accused Obama and other gun control proponents of emotionally manipulating voters and “exploiting emotion for their own agenda.” And news media organizations, she said, are “the reliable poodle-skirted cheerleaders for a president who writes the book on exploiting tragedy.”

In a reprise of her use of a 7-Eleven “Big Gulp” as a prop during the Conservative Political Action Conference to mock Bloomberg’s ban on large-sized sodas, she displayed a pack of cigarettes at the NRA event to poke fun at the mayor’s call for banning store displays of cigarettes.

Alluding to the defeat of a Senate measure two weeks ago to expand background checks for gun buyers, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told the crowd that gun control measures a month ago had “looked like an unstoppable freight train” but that they and fellow gun owners across the nation had mobilized to stop it in a victory that was “truly amazing.” But he said Obama and his allies have said “that they intend to come back at us” with another attempt to pass gun legislation in the Senate.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Attendees walk on the show floor during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 3, 2013 in Houston, Texas.

“We must do everything we can to stop violent crime,” the Texas Republican said, as he accused the Obama administration of not doing enough to prosecute felons and fugitives who try to buy guns as well as criminals who use a gun in the commission of a crime.

Cruz also challenged Vice President Joe Biden, who like Cruz is a potential 2016 presidential contender, to an hour-long debate on how to stop crime. “If Vice President Biden really believes the facts are on his side … I would think he would welcome the opportunity to talk about the sources, the causes of violent crime and how we do everything humanly possible to stop it.”

Chris Cox, the head of the group’s Institute for Legislative Action, said in Friday’s session that since Newtown, “We’ve seen the politicians, the national media, and their billionaire supporters attack us, ridicule us, and, worst of all, blame us for the acts of violent criminals and madmen.”

Also speaking Friday were Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum -- two other possible contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Santorum praised gun owners saying that -- in the wake of Newtown -- “when the entire tide of the national media and the popular culture was trying to erode a fundamental freedom, you stood tall -- as unpopular as it seemed -- you stood for the truth.”  

Two weeks ago, the NRA scored a major victory when the Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by two senators who had gotten NRA backing in their past campaigns, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

The Manchin-Toomey amendment would have required background checks on would-be firearms purchasers at gun shows at which 75 or more firearms were available for sale.

Under current law, although background checks are required to buy a weapon from a federally licensed dealer, no check is needed for those who buy from a private gun owner or at gun shows or similar events.

While most Republican senators opposed the Manchin-Toomey measure, three GOP senators in addition to Toomey himself voted for it. And while most Democratic senators voted for it, five Democrats voted no, including two who are up for re-election next year, Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska.

This story was originally published on Fri May 3, 2013 3:44 PM EDT

For the second time in as many months, President Barack Obama reached across the dinner table and shared a meal with Senate Republicans that both sides called constructive and an important step towards finding common ground.

Twelve Republican senators ventured to the White House on Wednesday at the invitation of the Commander in Chief. Topics included some of the most contentious battles set to go before Congress in the coming weeks — comprehensive immigration legislation, reforming the nation's gun laws, and reducing the deficit, according to a White House official.

"I commend the president for reaching out to us as it is critically important that we communicate directly in order to find common ground," Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.,said in a statement released after the dinner. "It's the only way that we can find solutions that are right for America — not just a win for the president or a win for Republicans. I hope we can continue the conversation from tonight."

The nearly three-hour meal -- which included a green salad, steak and sauteed vegetables -- came about after Obama called Isakson asking to organize the event to build on a previous dinner the president held with Senate Republicans on March 6.

Isakson said he wanted the Republicans in attendance to represent a cross-section of the party by region and interests.

"Productive discussion tonight at dinner with the President and GOP colleagues," Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, tweeted.

Republicans had similar positive reactions after the earlier dinner at the Jefferson Hotel, but the good will has not easily translated to cooperation in Congress.

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Stacy Klein contributed to this report. 

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) is urging a federal appeals court to overturn a three-judge panel's decision to declare an anti-sodomy law unconstitutional.

The Washington Blade reports that Cuccinelli filed a formal "petition with the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond asking the full 15-judge court to reconsider a decision by a three-judge panel last month that overturned the state's sodomy law. The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 on March 12 that a section of Virginia's 'Crimes Against Nature' statute that outlaws sodomy between consenting adults, gay or straight, is unconstitutional based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2003 known as Lawrence v. Texas."

Steve Helber / Steve Helber / AP file photo

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli speaks at a press conference Thursday, June 28, 2012.

Cuccinelli will be formally nominated as the Republican nominee in this year's governor's race by the state party at its convention May 18.

The move could potentially have repercussions for his gubernatorial bid in a state Barack Obama won in both 2008 and 2012. It also comes just as the U.S. Supreme Court is considering two cases dealing with gay rights, after the national party has urged Republicans to accept gays and lesbians, and as Senate Republicans like Rob Portman of Ohio and Mark Kirk of Illinois have announced their support for same-sex marriage.

Cuccinelli will be running against likely Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and major Bill and Hillary Clinton fundraiser, in what is sure to be one of the most closely watched races this year.

More background from the Blade:

"The March 12 ruling of the appeals court's three-judge panel overturned a lower court decision upholding the conviction of a 37-year-old man charged in 2005 with soliciting a 17-year-old woman to engage in oral sex. The Attorney General's office argued that the Supreme Court's Lawrence decision didn't apply to cases involving minors. But 4th Circuit Appeals Court Judge Robert King, who wrote the majority opinion, said the Lawrence decision rendered the Virginia sodomy statue 'facially' or completely unconstitutional. He stated other laws could be used to prosecute an adult for engaging in sex with a minor and that the Virginia General Assembly would likely have authority under the Lawrence decision to pass a new law specifically outlawing sodomy between an adult and a minor."

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Saturday narrowly passed its first federal budget in four years, a move that will usher in a relative lull in Washington's fiscal wars until an anticipated summer showdown over raising the debt ceiling.

The budget plan was passed by a 50-49 vote in the Democratic-controlled chamber. Four Democratic senators facing tough re-election campaigns in 2014 joined all the Senate Republicans in opposing the measure, which seeks to raise nearly $1 trillion in new tax revenues by closing some tax breaks for the wealthy.

The Senate budget, which reflects Democratic priorities of boosting near-term job growth and preserving social safety net programs, will square off in coming months against a Republican-focused budget passed by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.

Neither of the non-binding blueprints has a chance of passage in the opposing chamber, leaving Congress no closer to resolving deep differences over how to shrink U.S. deficits and grow the economy. But they give each party a platform from which to tout their respective fiscal visions.

The Democrats' plan from Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray aims to reduce deficits by $1.85 trillion over 10 years through an equal mix of tax increases and spending cuts.

The Republican plan from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan seeks $4.6 trillion in savings over the same period without raising new taxes. It aims to reach a small surplus by 2023 through deep cuts to health care and social programs that aid the poor.

"The House budget changes our debt course, while the Senate budget does not," said Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee. 

'Very different' values
Murray said after the vote that she would try to work with Ryan on a path toward compromise.

"While it is clear that the policies, values, and priorities of the Senate budget are very different than those articulated in the House budget, I know the American people are expecting us to work together to end the gridlock and find common ground, and I plan to continue doing exactly that."

Passage of a stop-gap government funding measure on Thursday lowered the temperature in the budget debate by eliminating the threat of a government shutdown next week.

"We're going to get a breather here. Congress will let things cool off a bit and there'll be other issues that come to the forefront in the spring," said Greg Valliere, chief political strategist at Potomac Research Group, a firm that advises institutional investors on Washington politics.

These issues include legislation on gun control, immigration reform and initial work on simplifying the tax code, which is particularly important to Republicans.

Joining Republicans in opposing the Democratic budget were Democratic senators from conservative-leaning states: Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

Voting for a budget that raises tax revenues could increase their vulnerability in congressional elections next year and put Democrats' thin majority at risk.

In the lead-up to the Senate vote early on Saturday morning, the body considered more than 100 largely symbolic, non-binding amendments to the budget aimed at scoring political points and staking out positions.

Among notable amendments, the Senate signaled strong support for allowing states more authority to collect sales taxes on Internet purchases, for approval of the controversial Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline and for repealing a tax on medical devices imposed by President Barack Obama's health care reform law.

The Senate also voted 99-0 to end policies that subsidized large banks considered "too big to fail" but came out against imposing taxes on industrial carbon emissions.

The Senate had not passed a budget resolution since 2009 because of fiscal policy disputes with House Republicans that forced Congress to turn to numerous stop-gap spending measures to avoid government shutdowns. 

Related:

Budget battles: What you need to know

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- He’s not exactly hired.

Donald Trump, the New York real estate mogul who flirted with a 2012 presidential bid, spoke largely off the cuff to a respectful, but somewhat bewildered crowd here at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

On the one hand, Trump spouted what could be seen as fairly liberal views, chiding the GOP and conservatives for wanting to cut entitlements and for becoming too conservative.

“Our country is in very, very serious trouble,” Trump said, adding, “Likewise the Republican Party is in serious trouble.” He said if the party wants to “change substantially” Medidcare, Social Security, and Medicaid, “and you think you’re going to win elections, it just really is not going to happen.”

But on the other hand, he also said the party should not jump too quickly on immigration reform because the 11 million undocumented immigrants would vote Democratic.

“Every one of those 11 million” illegal immigrants “will be voting Democratic and you have to be very, very careful. Odds are, it’s not looking so great for Republicans. … You’re on a suicide mission – you’re just not going to get that vote." 

At the same time, he said Europeans who want to immigrate to the U.S. and who have children who do well at American universities should be allowed to stay.

Trump also had praise for Mitt Romney, who will speak later. But had one critique.

“If Mitt Romney made one mistake,” Trump said, “he didn’t talk enough about his success. The Republicans and Mitt didn’t speak enough about the great things he did.”

After his speech, Trump held an unannounced news conference, but it was only open initially to select - and mostly conservative - media outlets. NBC was eventually allowed in after protesting.

American Conservative Union chairman Al Cardenas spoke briefly with reporters ahead of the beginning of the CPAC conference -- explaining why he didn't invite New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and insisting that the GOP is "not a home for everybody."

As the conference opens, the GOP's identity crisis -- expand the tent, or try to convince more people to crowd under what's already built -- is on sharp display.

"I'm a firm believer that if the Republican Party's going to have success, it's going to do so by being a conservative party and not a home for ah, for everybody," Cardenas said. "And that's how you grow. I mean, look, you grow your tent by convincing others, and persuading others, that yours is the way, and you build your tent by reaching out to the new demographics of America not with a watered down version of who we ought to be but with a true, real, solid version of who we are."

Cardenas also repeated explanations for why the conference hadn't invited New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to speak at the event.

"This year, for better or for worse, we felt like, ah, like he didn't deserve to be on the all-star selection, ah, and, for decisions that he made. And so hopefully next year he's back on the right track and being a conservative," Cardenas said. "He's a popular figure, but everyone needs to live by the parameters of the movement."

Also not invited was Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who recently signed a transportation bill that included new taxes.

Cardenas approached McDonnell differently, however, saying the conference only had room for one Virginian -- attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, who's running for governor. Cardenas called him the "future" of the GOP in Virginia.

Though its eventual dividends are uncertain, President Barack Obama’s newfound outreach to Republican lawmakers has not only prompted a glimmer of hope for a thaw in the partisan logjam in Washington, but also hinted that a breakthrough on the president’s second-term agenda priorities could be within reach.

The president has moved in recent days to sidestep Republican leaders in Congress and speak directly to members of the GOP rank-and-file. Obama called a handful of Republican senators last weekend, dined with a dozen of them on Wednesday evening and broke bread with the GOP’s 2012 vice-presidential nominee on Thursday.

Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan makes his way to the West Wing on March 7, 2013 for a lunch with President Barack Obama.

Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns, one of the senators in attendance at the dinner, proclaimed himself “more optimistic” about dealing with Obama following the dinner.

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn said Thursday on MSNBC: “The president was sincere. I think everybody believed him in terms of wanting to work together. And I think it's the beginning hopefully of the relationship building that will allow us to do that.”

The dinner was just one step by Obama over the past week to woo Republicans, who had loudly complained for weeks that the president had engaged in no genuine outreach, and rather, was spending his time to campaign actively against Republicans.

Obama also dined Thursday with Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the House Budget Committee chairman and 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee. And the president will make a rare trip next week to Capitol Hill, where he’ll address the House and Senate Republican conferences. (Obama will also speak to congressional Democrats.)

For now, the president’s new tack has won applause from Republicans.

"I think it's a sign – a hopeful sign – and I'm hopeful that something will come out of it," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Thursday, denying that he felt as though Obama was going around him. "But if the president continues to insist on tax hikes I don't think we're going to get very far. If the president doesn't believe we have a spending problem, I don't think we're going to get too far. But I'm optimistic."

Related: Reaching across aisle, Obama picks up tab at dinner with GOP

Obama has an aggressive second-term agenda on Congress’ docket. Comprehensive immigration reform, stronger regulations on guns and a grand fiscal bargain headline an agenda that has been largely met, to date, by stiff Republican opposition.

But after the president spent the first two months of his second term traveling across the country blasting Republicans over the sequester – which took effect last Friday – Obama has apparently decided a softer approach might get more results. Boehner called the shift in strategy a “180” by the White House.

But it was still a very open question as to whether Obama might make any more progress in winning over Republicans through this approach. Indeed, his renewed outreach might just as well have the purpose of inoculating himself against charges that he had not, in good faith, pursued every avenue to strike a deal with Republicans.

Already, some Democrats are skeptical.

“This president has been so respectful, given so much time to the Republicans and their views,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday, “to the point that at one time, in one of our meetings, I said to the president, ‘Mr. President, I'm busy, and I don't have any more time for this; you have to be the busiest person in the world.’”

Pelosi’s skepticism is rooted not only in the failed fiscal talks during the last Congress. She and other Democrats stood by in 2009 as Obama made aggressive overtures toward Republicans in hopes of winning bipartisan support for his health care reform law. Before that were the cocktail and Super Bowl parties at the very beginning of the Obama administration, with Democrats and Republicans alike as guests.

Indeed, the new apparent comity between Obama and Republicans could face a stiff test of seriousness as soon as next week, when Ryan unveils his new budget – a document that has been targeted by Democrats in the past.

“We need an open debate about how best to balance the budget and expand opportunity,” Ryan said following his meeting with Obama. “I look forward to having that debate next week with specific budget proposals from House Republicans and Senate Democrats."

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 7, 2013 6:58 PM EST

The committee tackling early versions of gun control legislation will not act on the bills for another week. 

As expected, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee took advantage of rules allowing a one-week delay or “hold over” in addressing the newly-introduced bills.  

The extra week gives Democrats more time to hash out a deal on background checks, the gun safety proposal widely viewed as the most likely to survive the legislative process and be signed into law this year.  

Two Democrats - Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Chuck Schumer of New York - have been negotiating with Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn on the background check legislation.

Susan Walsh / AP

Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., gets help with a green ribbon pin for the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School, from fellow committee member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013.

But the bipartisan talks have slowed over disagreements related to private sellers keeping records of their gun sales.

In a hearing Thursday, committee chairman Patrick Leahy also promised Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that the panel will vote on her bill to ban assault weapons.

But that legislation has little chance of passing the Senate. 

The committee will begin debating and making changes to the assault weapons and background check proposals –- as well as gun trafficking and school safety measures -- starting next Thursday. 

Leahy warned of late nights for lawmakers next week, saying the sessions will go "as late as necessary" each day and continue into the following week if need be.  

NBC’s Carrie Dann contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Thu Feb 28, 2013 11:05 AM EST

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio sought to put a softer face on Republicans’ small-government agenda, accusing President Barack Obama of spreading blame for his own administration’s shortcomings.

Rubio used the official Republican response to Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday to advance the friendlier tone the GOP has sought to project after two straight drubbings in presidential elections.

Related: Obama challenges GOP, presses big agenda at State of the Union

A 41-year-old Cuban-American, Rubio referenced his own experience on matters such as immigration and entitlements. But he also used the spotlight to showcase well-known Republican positions: for a balanced budget amendment, for instance, and against stricter gun control that Obama wants.

“Mr. President, I don’t oppose your plans because I want to protect the rich,” Rubio said, in a line representative of Republicans’ effort to shirk their caricature of a party favoring the wealthy. “I oppose your plans because I want to protect my neighbors.”

A rising star within the Republican Party who is regarded as a top contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, Rubio used much of his speech to lay into Obama with familiar criticisms. He accused the president of demonizing the GOP for its resistance to the administration’s agenda.

“There are valid reasons to be concerned about the president’s plan to grow our government. But any time anyone opposes the president’s agenda, he and his allies usually respond by falsely attacking their motives,” Rubio said.

Rubio’s moment in the spotlight was eagerly awaited by many Republicans, but at one point the spotlight seemed to affect him: Rubio ducked to his left, and almost out of camera range, to pick up a small bottle of water and take a gulp.

The unusual break in the speech was quickly mocked on Twitter. Within minutes of the speech, Poland Spring — the brand that Rubio reached for — was a trending topic.

The Florida senator was part of a bipartisan so-called Gang of Eight who last month presented a framework for immigration reform. It called for securing the U.S.-Mexican border before dealing with the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants.

He sounded those themes again Tuesday and said: “First, we must follow through on the broken promises of the past to secure our borders and enforce our laws.”

Rubio devoted a sizable portion of his address to attacking Obama’s proposals on the federal budget. He said that he hoped the president would “abandon his obsession with raising taxes” and instead focus on economic growth.

Recommended: Senate panel OK's Hagel nomination; GOP senators could delay floor vote

The senator, who said that he himself had only just paid off $100,000 in student loans, accused Obama of blaming President George W. Bush for a rising federal debt when Obama “created more debt in four years than his predecessor did in eight.”

Rubio’s speech sets the stage for this spring’s fight over Democratic and Republican proposals to resolve the so-called sequester — automatic spending cuts to government programs set to take effect March 1.

The Obama administration has said that the cuts would hamper economic growth and harm national security.

Rubio accused Obama of seeking “devastating” cuts to the military and said that the answer to the nation’s fiscal problems in stronger economic growth and creating “new taxpayers, not new taxes.”

Recommended: Lawmakers clash on gun rights as victims' families gather

Rubio framed Washington fights over taxes and spending in personal terms. He spoke of retirees in his neighborhood who depend on Social Security, and how Medicare helped both his mother and his late father.

“I would never support any changes to Medicare that would hurt seniors like my mother,” he said. “But anyone who is in favor of leaving Medicare exactly the way it is right now, is in favor of bankrupting it.”

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, giving a separate response address to a tea party group, suggested that not only should the automatic spending cuts standing — they should be greater.

“Washington acts in a way that your family never could,” he said, according to prepared remarks. “They spend money they do not have, they borrow from future generations, and then they blame each other for never fixing the problem.”

If Congress can’t pay its own bills and pass a budget, Paul said, “Sweep the place clean.”