Matt Welch on Ron Paul's McCain-Like Path to the GOP Nomination

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This week, Ron Paul supporters and detractors alike have been gloating over the same basket of statistics showing that Paul's candidacy is predicated on the support of people who self-identify as independents, Democrats, or otherwise non-Republicans. Mostly missing from the commentary was a salient point in American politics as we lurch into 2012. As Editor in Chief Matt Welch explains, there is an immediate precedent for winning the GOP nomination by triumphing among non-Republican and anti-war voters in early-state primaries and caucuses: It's exactly what John McCain did in 2008 (yes, even the anti-war part).