The (Ron) Paul That Refreshes

I've tried not to become too enamored of Ron Paul. That's because like a summer love, he'll be gone in the fall. But Paul, the odd man out in a field of Republican presidential wannabes who range from somnambulant (Thompson) to predictable (Romney) to frightening (Giuliani), keeps hanging in there and raised an amazing $4.2 million in about 24 hours from more than 37,000 online contributors earlier this week.

Paul says that's a record, which it may well be.

But hell will freeze over, pigs will fly and the sun will come up in the west before he becomes the Republican nominee.

Still, the libertarian U.S. rep from Texas obviously has touched a nerve, but which one?

Perhaps it’s his comparatively lucid world view, which includes opting for the carrot before picking up the stick.

Or his call for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

Or his unapologetic embrace of civil liberties and opposition to torture. Or his embrace of substance over smoke and mirrors.

Or the way he change his mind, which seems like less like a Giuliani-esque flip-flop than a candid reconsideration of he facts.

What I don't like about Paul is pretty piddling by comparison: His anti-abortion stance and rather extreme views on immigration, which have attracted a fair number of wackos, including so-called 9/11 Truthers.

So perhaps there’s something for just about everyone to like about Paul. Although little to fear for the rest of the pack.