Rand Paul: Obama's 'Promise Zones' Sound Like Paul's Own Plan

Sen. Rand Paul will visit the White House on Thursday as President Barack Obama announces five "Promise Zones" to receive assistance in job creation and more.

Little detail has been given on the zones, but they sound a lot like his own Economic Freedom Zones announced last month, Paul said Wednesday on Fox News Channel's "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."

"They say the sincerest form of flattery is imitation," Paul said.

Paul said he is puzzled that the bankrupt city of Detroit wasn't included on the list of five zones. Detroit is where Paul announced his own plan for spurring economic activity in December.

Obama's initial zones are San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a White House statement said. The federal government plans to work with local governments and businesses to boost jobs, education, housing, and public safety.

Though one of the zones is in Paul's home state, the senator said many Kentuckians are skeptical of Obama because they feel his "war on coal" policies are what put them in tough economic circumstances in the first place.

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