Rand Paul talks life after politics

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a possible 2016 Republican presidential contender, said he sees himself returning to practicing medicine “at some point.”

“I think that we need to have people who are willing to reclaim their place in regular life after politics and not just say, ‘You go into politics and that’s what you’re going to do forever,’ ” Paul told CNN in an interview Tuesday.

{mosads}”So I envision myself coming back to Kentucky and practicing medicine at some point,” he added.

Paul was a practicing ophthalmologist before being elected to the Senate in 2010.

The senator spent Tuesday back in his old job for the day, performing pro bono cataract surgeries on four patients in Paducah, Ky., according to CNN.

Controversy arose during Paul’s 2010 Senate campaign when it surfaced that he was not certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. Paul instead helped start a rival certification group.

He said his old job can be an example for his new one in Washington.

“We don’t argue. … We figure out what the problem is and we try to fix it, which is a lot more effective way,” he said.

“I wish politics was a little more like medicine,” said Paul. 

This story was updated at 5:54 p.m.