The Comeback Kid of 2008? Sometimes a candidate doesn’t have to win the New Hampshire primary to get a boost out if it (ask Bill Clinton in 1992). Will the surprise of 2008 be Ron Paul and his rabid legion of online and offline fans (dare we call them Paulettes)?

“That spontaneous grassroots support is why Mr. Paul, an obstetrician from Lake Jackson, Texas, could pull off a stunner on Jan. 8 and place third in New Hampshire’s Republican primary,” writes Andrew Cline, the editorial page editor of the newspaper formerly known as the Manchester Union Leader, on the op-ed page of The Wall Street Journal. “If he does, he would embarrass Rudy Giuliani and steal media limelight from John McCain and Mitt Romney, who are battling for first place.” Cline continues:

Many Republican operatives in New Hampshire, even those affiliated with other campaigns, think Mr. Paul is headed for an impressive, double-digit performance. That he has been polling in the high single digits for months is discounted, because the polls may be missing the depth of his support. Why? For starters, he appears to be drawing new voters. Polls that screen for “likely” voters might screen out many Paul supporters who haven’t voted often, or at all, before. Many of Mr. Paul’s supporters appear to be first-time voters. They will be able to cast their ballots because New Hampshire allows them to register and vote on the day of an election.

If Paul does finish third in New Hampshire, the result may ultimately be more significant for the unfortunate candidate who finishes in fourth place behind him. Cline suggests that the fourth-place finisher in his scenario could be Rudy Giuliani.

The “level of enthusiasm for Mr. Paul,” he writes, “transcends the state’s Libertarian base (about 4% of the electorate). And by many accounts, Mr. Paul’s backers here are more energized and committed than are supporters of Mr. Giuliani, who may enjoy inflated poll numbers because of his celebrity status.”