Paul plans major pre-convention rally

The Texas congressman and not-quite-withdrawn 2012 presidential candidate announces over his email list that he'll marshal his supporters on the eve of the Tampa convention:

– 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul will hold a major rally with thousands of supporters ahead of the Republican National Convention in Tampa. The event will take place at noon on Sunday, August 26th at the University of South Florida’s 11,000-seat Sun Dome. Yesterday the Ron Paul campaign signed a contract to secure the venue with the approval of the Republican National Committee.

The challenge for Paul is amping up his supporters in order to have an impact on the convention, without letting the fired-up activists behave in a way that would embarrass him. For the rest of the GOP, the trick is accommodating Paul just enough so that he'll help make sure things don't get out of hand.