Yes, he said the “victory [for him] in the conventional sense is not available,” but he is not going away. He has refused to drop out and endorse McCain. Instead he says that all Republicans should have

“the right to vote for someone that stands for traditional Republican principles.” And he’s got a point.

Paul is frugal: won’t vote for a budget that isn’t balanced, and won’t even spend taxpayers dollars on Congressional Medals of Honor (not even for the Pope). He is isolationist: opposed US involvement in Iraq, Kosovo, and the war on drugs (also NATO and the UN).

He puts GOP’s feet to the fire with the consistency in his anti-big-government conservative philosophy. All the candidates claimed to defend taxpayers, but only Paul turned down a tax-payer funded pension and tax-payer funded junkets. They all talked about shrinking big government, but only Paul also included the Pentagon, NSA wire-taps and petroleum subsidies.

McCain wants to stand for a change from “Bushness.” Paul, conscience of the Grand Old Party, doesn’t see it, yet.