"Ron Paul? Wasn't He Famous Once?"

NEWSWEEK's Daniel Stone recently interviewed Ron Paul, who has dropped off the event horizon lately. Well, it's understandable, what with all the worldwide hoopla over the Libertarian Party's nomination of Bob Barr and, let's face it, the far more entertaining mini-series of the Democratic Party's determination to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. (Speaking of which, let me take this opportunity to say there's no truth whatsoever to the rumor Hillary Clinton will soon argue that, for the sake of constitutional historicity, Barack Obama's African American delegates' should only count 3/5ths each.)

Meanwhile, the "presumptive nominee," John Barking Mad McCain is busying himself interviewing prospective lackeys, taking advice on how best to avoid mentioning either President Bush or the fact that they belong to the same party during the actual campaign and tending to various coronation nomination details. Not much of a story there. Oh sure, he got in a bit of trouble with an former minister, too, but it couldn't really hurt him because no one seriously thinks John McCain believes in any power greater than himself.

My guess is that, viewing the Republican National Convention in purely entertainment terms -- and how could you not? -- Paul and his zany minions will provide most of the interesting sidebar stories. Aside from implicitly denying that unspent campaign money will be used on hookers and blow, other news from the interview includes the fact that Paul plans a major rally at some point during the convention to "present views and try to … get in on the committees to vote on platforms" and that he won't endorse another candidate.

Paul has always been a mixed bag as far as being libertarianism's poster boy goes, but that would necessarily be true of any flesh-and-blood national candidate. On balance, he's been a positive force in what has otherwise been and continues to be an abysmally depressing election cycle. Better still, we haven't heard the last of him yet.