Ron Paul’s appearance on Bill Maher’s show at the end of last month demonstrated the difficulties he will face in his attempt to be taken seriously as a candidate. Maher immediately interrogated Dr. Paul about his most extreme views: downsizing the CIA, saying the American civil war wasn’t necessary to abolish slavery, being skeptical of global warming, dismantling the FAA, etc.

[View the video. WordPress didn't like my attempt at embedding.]

I’m surprised how well he held up. In giving answers under a minute in length, Dr. Paul was able to put forth at least one strong plausible argument for each of his positions so that he didn’t come off as a complete nutter. Will he be able to keep that up consistently on the campaign trail? If Paul gains visibility as a candidate, his actions will shape the public’s view of the meaning of libertarianism.

Despite those fears, I’m excited at the prospect of seeing Ron Paul debate in the GOP primaries and calling out his competitors for betraying conservative principles.