Sullivan’s been going back and forth with readers on this. Paul obviously has about zero chance of securing the Republican nomination. But that doesn’t really diminish his significance:

Paul’s greatest service in this election would be to force the Republican candidates to explicitly embrace the policies of George W. Bush in ways that they would have otherwise have avoided. There can be little inching towards the center if you risk being on the same side as Paul: The Most Hated Man in the Republican Party. At this rate, Ron Paul will have the resources to keep them in that box well into the primaries, tying themselves ever tighter to the anchor that is George W. Bush.

Absolutely. At a time when the country as a whole is losing or has lost its faith in the Decider, the GOP candidates are forced to embrace his legacy.

Notes the Anonymous Liberal, Paul is no Howard Dean - the insurgent that affects the party itself. The Republican Party won’t be affected by Paul; the conservatism of the Republican Party is no longer the conservatism of Paul, is no longer paleoconservatism; it’s a new thing entirely in which invading random countries to “spread freedom” and protect against some nebulous threat that may or may not exist can be defined as “conservatism” - when in fact it’s about as far from traditional conservatism as you get.

Paul isn’t going to change those minds. So ultimately, suggests the Anonymous Liberal, he’s more akin to Ross Perot - appealing to those frustrated with both parties, with politics as usual:

Those who want to see a Republican in the White House come 2009 should be very careful how they treat Ron Paul and his supporters. He has the potential to become a very effective spoiler in the general election.