Did Rand Paul Overreact to TSA’s Request for a Pat Down?

Monday, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul missed his Nashville flight to Washington because he refused to submit to a security pat down. Transportation Security Administration officials asked  Paul to undergo a physical inspection after setting of the alarm of a walk-in scanner. According to Paul, upon his refusal, he was detained until "until they got tired of me." However, when asked about the event, White House spokesman Jay Carney defended the TSA, "Let's be clear, the passenger was not detained. He was escorted out of the area by local law-enforcement."

[See a collection of political cartoons on airport security.]

Paul has long been a critic of TSA policies, saying at a June Senate hearing,

This isn't to say that we don't believe in safety procedures. But I think I feel less safe because you're doing these invasive exams on a 6-year-old. It makes me think you're clueless that you think she's going to attack our country and that you're not doing your research on the people who would attack our country.

His father Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a GOP presidential candidate who shares Rand Paul's libertarian views, used the ordeal as an opportunity to build support for an "End the TSA Money Bomb," releasing a statement slamming "an out-of-control police state that, while doing nothing to make us safer, is working overtime to strip away our freedoms, our rights, and our basic dignity."

What do you think? Did Rand Paul overreact to TSA's request for a pat down? Take the poll and comment below.

Previously: Can Newt Gingrich Beat Barack Obama?