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Finally, a Republican stood up to Rush Limbaugh and that Republican was Rep. Ron Paul on MSNBC’s 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. with David Shuster. Paul said that he really doesn’t think about Rush Limbaugh and that Republicans should not be terrified of the talk show host.

Here is the video:

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Host David Shuster asked Ron Paul if he wanted Obama to fail. Paul replied, “No, I don’t even think about in those terms. I want nobody to have credibility on bad ideas…I take it out of the context of personalities. I think the personalities are irrelevant. It is only the issues that count. It is only the ideas that count. It is only our philosophy that counts.”

Paul wouldn’t say that Limbaugh was wrong, but he did say, “I don’t even think about him.” Paul said he supports Obama’s goals, but not his policies, which is a fair position to take. Paul said he would like to ask Rush doesn’t support civil rights and Paul’s position on the Federal Reserve. Paul said, “I was disappointed with Rush because he is a good conservative, yet he never said hardly boo against George Bush. He supported all that big spending. Did he complain about all those wars that were going on that caused us so much trouble?”

Dr. Paul also said that Rush Limbaugh isn’t the head of the GOP. Paul said Rush is very influential, but Republicans shouldn’t be terrified of him. Paul said the GOP is having personality conflicts because they aren’t talking about the real problems and why they lost. It was nice to hear from an actual conservative. I disagree with Ron Paul on lots of things, but the GOP would be wise to listen to what he is saying here. Rep. Paul didn’t fall into the personalities trap, but he also did a great job of explaining why this is going on.

Host David Shuster tried to get Paul to play the game, but to his credit he rolled with the punches and let the Texas Republican get into some other areas. This was one of the few interviews where Paul was allowed to freely speak. I think Paul’s conservative criticism of Limbaugh is spot on, and I think that until many other Republicans have the courage to see Rush for what he really is, this distraction will continue to weigh down their attempt to get their act together.