When Texas Congressman Ron Paul entered the race for next year's Republican presidential nomination, few political analysts paid much notice.

Paul has no backing from political bigwigs or any campaign war chest to speak of. As the Libertarian Party presidential nominee in 1988 he won less than one-half of 1 percent of the national vote.

Yet despite his status among the longest of the long shots, the 71-year-old has become one of the internet's most omnipresent –- and some say most irritating -– subjects. click here to read more

I don't know what to think about Ron Paul. Like many people my age (I suspect), I tend to pay little attention to politics because, like NFL football, it all seems so pointless and money-driven anyway. However, something about this candidate seems a bit different. The difference lies in the fact that he gives people hope. Having watched a grand total of one so-called "debate" together with a "post-game interview" on Fox, read the positions given on his website, watched several propagandistic YouTube videos, and generally googled him for more info--I am more confused than ever. Do we have to buy into the mainstream, who-the-media-will-let-us-vote-for game, or will it be effective to vote for Paul? Will enough Republicans vote for Paul to get him the nomination, without which it will be very difficult for him to win? Paul seems so straightforward and spin-free that it is hard not to like him just for that reason. However, besides that, he's blatantly pro-life, not just for unborn babies but also for our soldiers in Iraq. That last is a sticking point--but somehow you just get the feeling he would make a good commander-in-chief. Have I been brainwashed into becoming a "Ron Paul zombie" as some conservatives label them?