National Review's John Derbyshire on Ron Paul and Fred Thompson

John Derbyshire responded this morning to a reader who urged him to support Fred Thompson:

"My reader's aspersions on Paul sound a lot like the ones I recall hearing about Ronald Reagan during the first presidential election I witnessed from American soil, in 1976. An office colleague — he was a recent refugee from Eastern Europe — was hot for Reagan. Everyone else, Democrat and Republican alike, laughed at this guy. "Not a real candidate …" etc., etc. Uh-huh...

"When a dysfunctional federal government generates systemic problems, though — and there are some doozies just over the horizon — you need systemic solutions. I believe that in current circumstances, that means a withdrawal of federal power from areas where it never had any proper business being, and a return to a strict reading of the federal Constitution. I see the same belief in Paul. I don't see it Fred."

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