Ron Paul Not Backing McCain

...and is his refusal to endorse the newly spineless McCain any surprise after his treatment by the GOP at the convention? One post at the Lew Rockwell blog reminds Paul supporters that they do have free will, and if you see any campaign messages coming down from GOP HQ that seem completely inconsistent with the GOP's and conservatism's core values, you don't have to push them on the public. Die-hard Republicans, that doesn't even mean "Vote for Obama". It just means you don't have to repeat every reality-TV campaign talking point you're expected to. Easy - and all Americans benefit! Andrew Sullivan puts it a little more bluntly.

Of course, nobody is talking about McCain's plan to be in Iraq for a hundred years - remember that? Multiply casualties and costs for five years (so far) times twenty and see how that looks for our kids and grandkids.