Who the fuck is Ron Paul?

As a part of my daily web rituals, I check out Digg, which is kind of like del.icio.us, a place to bookmark pages and show off the odd or interesting things you've found. For the last couple of weeks, I've found that almost every day there is something about Ron Paul.

Who the fuck is Ron Paul?

Today this is what is up there, Ron Paul Goes On the Offensive. It's from a site called Prison Planet, a website by a conspiricy theorist and 'Constitutionalist' named Alex Jones.

Looking for mentions on the New York Times website, I found this one about his wealth, one on a debate that he's barely mentioed in, and this one also about the debate. "The three apparent front-runners had plenty of opportunities to make their case, but the lesser-known candidates had to jostle for attention. Nobody really managed to steal the show and display graveltas, the ability to steal a debate with outrageous, curmudgeonly statements the way former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska did in the recent Democratic debate in South Carolina. But Representative Ron Paul of Texas, who calls himself a paleolibertarian, came closest. His reedy voice and excitable manner stood out in what was otherwise a blending chorus of deep monotones."

His internet supporters seem rabid. Almost like LaRouche people (not that he's as crazy as LaRouche, as far as I can tell). He's been mentioned in U.S. News and World Reports as being the most searched term on technorati.com.

Watch out for this guy. He seems like the longest of long shots, and I'm not a supporter, but it will be interesting to see how the internet affects this election.

As far as I'm concerned, another rich old white guy? Yawn.