Videos: Ron Paul update (EWTN, Fox Debates, Racism smears, etc.)

I've neglected posting about Ron Paul lately, but several recent stories aren't to be missed.

First, via Casey Khan over at Catholics for Ron Paul, Dr. Paul's pro-life record gets a mention on EWTN:

Second, in a typical and predictable dirty politics ploy, folks are trying to claim that Ron Paul endorsed racist, homophobic and suchlike notions almost a decade ago in his newsletter. Watch Ron Paul passionately defend his principles and character, leaving Wolf Blitzer sputtering in response:

Next, while I sadly missed tonight's GOP debate in South Carolina, from the early reports, it appears that Ron Paul held his own despite some underhanded questions, and came out ahead with a few zingers of his own:

Plenty of praise for his performance at the debate from USA Daily here and here.

Combining all these factoids together, I'm reminded of the initial reasons I like Ron Paul so much:

1. He is educated, and forms his political conclusions based on reading and reason instead of polling and "groupthink."
2. He holds to his principles, and never compromises them for expediency or convenience.
3. He is pro-life, and changed his position on the death penalty after reflection.
4. He understands the economy and related matters better than anyone (again, through study and experience), and also has an insider's perspective on medicine (actually has practiced medicine).
5. Tellingly, he is constantly malligned, marganilized and generally hated by the liberal media establishment, and most government officials even in his own party. That, to me, is very revealing of him and politics.

I don't think Ron Paul will become president, but I do believe it is important that he is in the race. And I hope that whoever eventually becomes president, if it is one of the men who shared a stage with him tonight, was listening to what he was saying, and resolved to take a few of Dr. Paul's "new-for-being-old" ideas to heart.