Rand Paul Asks Libertarians To Stay in GOP

"Politics is messy," he says. Really, really, really messy

Tonight, at long last, marks the end of Ron Paul, Presidential Candidate. The congressman from Texas will be paid tribute from the main stage of the RNC, with a video introduced by his senator son. Following the video, Rand Paul himself will get a prime-time speech. This is the fruit of the long, obvious, and clever decision by Team Paul to accept that Mitt Romney was the frontrunner to win the GOP nomination, and to carve out some space to his right without lambasting him.

During this convention week, Ron's been able to walk away from the niceties. He told the New York Times that he would not fully endorse Romney -- a step further into the fold than 2008, when he endorsed third party candidates for president, but still a sort of swipe at the loyalty-focused GOP. It's been up to Rand to convince delegates and activists that they should stay inside the GOP and settle for a slow takeover. I watched him do this on the convention floor yesterday (piece upcoming) and watched it again today, as Rand addressed the Iowa delegates' breakfast. (The Iowa delegation is heavily Paul'd up.)