Mark: I agree, it’s a shame that the Ron Paul camapaign contains a higher than normal proportion of loonies. (Normal, in my experience of political activism, is around 20 percent. Paul’s campaign looks to have around 40 percent.)

The fact remains that Paul himself is plainly not nuts. Even if he did have the odd patch of nuttiness, I doubt it would compare with Mitt Romney’s apparently devout belief in golden tablets, magic spectacles, etc., etc.; or for that matter, with Mike Huckabee’s stated belief that he has been chosen by God.

And Paul remains the only candidate talking about limited constitutional government. The others are all: “I’ll make the federal government do this! I’ll make the federal government do that!” Paul seems to be the only one who is aware, as millions of ordinary citizens are aware, that the federal government does almost nothing well, and most things excruciatingly badly: and that this is to be expected from a vast and ossified bureaucratic extravaganza. Paul is the only candidate telling us, as a previous president told us, that “self-government means self-support.”

When I look at the line-up on a GOP candidate debate, I see one guy in a modest business suit, and a bunch of other guys in Santa Claus outfits. I’ll go with the suit.