by Conor Friedersdorf
The Atlantic<\/p>\n
It\u2019s interesting to observe what qualifies as beyond the pale in American politics. For bigoted newsletters written two decades ago, Ron Paul is deemed by many to be disqualified from the presidency. I don\u2019t fault anyone for criticizing those newsletters. I\u2019ve done so myself. They\u2019re terrible. So is the way he\u2019s handled the controversy. But isn\u2019t it interesting that Paul has been more discredited by years-old, ghostwritten remarks than has Newt Gingrich for bigotry that he\u2019s uttered himself, on camera, during the present campaign? It\u2019s gone largely ignored both in the mainstream press and the movement-conservative organs that were most vocal condemning Paul.<\/p>\n