Everybody hates Ron Paul again

Not exactly, but you could be forgiven for having a flashback or two this evening to 2007 – when beating up on Ron Paul was a favorite crowd-pleaser on GOP debate nights.

Paul cued up his opponents nicely in Myrtle Beach Monday, when he gave a meandering explanation of his views on the hunting of Osama bin Laden, and likened the dead terrorist to a Chinese dissident in the process of making a larger point.

Newt Gingrich responded by serving up the red meat the crowd wanted.

“He’s not a Chinese dissident. The analogy that Congressman Paul used was utterly irrational,” Gingrich said. “A Chinese dissident who comes here seeking freedom is not the same as a terrorist who comes to Pakistan seeking asylum.”

Romney used his next answer to join in the fun: “The right thing for Osama bin Laden was the bullet in the head that he received.”

Paul has a powerful enough constituency this cycle that it’s not quite as easy to just lampoon him on stage, as opponents such as Rudy Giuliani did during the last campaign. But his views on foreign policy are still well outside the Republican mainstream and continue to make him a ripe target.