“The only motivation for doing this has to be maintaining his Congressional status on committees and other relationships. This runs at odds with his rhetoric of castigating the party for its neo-con ways. He won’t put his endorsements where his mouth is.”

With good reason. With so many true liberty minded representatives in Congress, his committee appointments, including ranking member of the Domestic Monetary subcommittee are too important.

Also, refusal to endorse non-republican candidates may actually influence like minded individuals to run as Goldwater Republicans, instead of jumping a third party ticket. As much as I’d like to see three or more viable political parties in this country, taking back the Republican party for traditional conservative principles truly is a more attainable goal than electing LP or CP candidates. Not that it can’t be done, mind you. Even the greens have managed to get candidates into Congress, but running under a household political name has obvious benefits.

It is also true that Ron Paul would be punished by the Republican Caucus if he endorses Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin or both. But his seat in Congress is important because of what he does as an individual Congressman, not because there is any hope of turning the Republican Party into a party of limited government.

The movement that Ron Paul has generated crosses party lines, and that is the hope for liberty – a trans-partisan movement for peace and limited government.