Texas Rep. Ron Paul, once considered "Media Poison," is enjoying a resurgence thanks to the spectacularly abysmal GOP presidential field a string of good debate performances and his well-organized team in Iowa. According to a recent poll [pdf], Dr. Paul now finds himself a single percentage point behind Newt Gingrich leading up to Iowa's primary race on January 3. This has spooked Gingrich enough to hire a political consultant and possibly change his holiday plans to stick around the state, but Ron Paul's comments to Jay Leno on Friday that Michele Bachmann "hates Muslims" may give him some breathing room.

This seems a tad out of character for Paul, given how excellent he usually is at calmly elucidating insanity. Bachmann responded to Paul's comments: "It’s kind of an odd thing to say, I think. I think the Iranian threat is real. That doesn’t mean that I hate the Muslim people.”

Yes, "hate" is a strong word. Maybe their culture isn't as "equal" as a Christian or Jewish culture, and maybe homosexuality is "personal bondage, personal despair, and personal enslavement," but the occasional misplaced corn dog will make people say silly things. Paul also calls out Rick Santorum for disliking gays, which, well, yeah.

Gingrich needs Paul to gaffe it up, lest Paul play the spoiler in Iowa, a state he sorely needs to win to have enough oomph to topple Romney in New Hampshire. "[A loss] would be evidence his surge has passed and his bubble had burst,” Professer Tim Hagle of the University of Iowa tells the Daily News. “Gingrich doesn’t have the resources or organization of Romney—he needs the momentum from a good finish in Iowa.”