For all the talk of an alliance between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, the Texas Congressman doesn’t sound particularly sold on the presumptive frontrunner. On two occasions this weekend, Paul expressed his hesitancy toward the former Massachusetts governor. CNSNews.com reports:
On Monday, asked if he could support the Republican nominee, whoever it may be – Paul told WMAL radio in Washington, “I haven’t decided.” …
“Which Republican other than myself would look into the Federal Reserve?” Paul asked.
Appearing Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Paul told host Bob Schieffer something similar when Schieffer asked if Paul would support Romney.
“Well, I–I haven’t made that decision yet. I’m still campaigning,” Paul said.
Schieffer repeated, “You haven’t made the decision on whether you would support Mitt Romney if he gets the nomination?”
“No, I have not,” Paul responded. …
Paul also insisted that he has no plans to run as a third party candidate. And he said he finds it hard to imagine himself as Romney’s running mate.
This is consistent with Ron Paul’s presentation of himself in the primaries up to this point, and it’s even consistent with the theory that he’s refraining from attacking Romney because he doesn’t want to hurt his son Rand Paul’s chances within the GOP. Paul prides himself on his unconventional views, on his role outside the Republican mainstream as the leader of his own movement, the Ron Paul revolution. He doesn’t need to endorse Mitt Romney or overtly support him in any way to maintain friendly ties with the Romneys and so ensure that a GOP nominee or President Romney would look favorably on the junior senator from Kentucky. Instead, he just needs to avoid outright attacks, which he has primarily done. Meanwhile, neither the Romneys nor the Pauls are reserved about the friendship that has grown up among them as a result of the primary process. In the same CBS interview, Paul admitted he likes Mitt Romney as a person. “I find him a dignified person,” Paul said, in what was obviously high praise for the man he says he still might not support as the nominee.
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