You wouldn’t know it based on reputation, but Senator Rand Paul is the most charismatic presidential candidate in the Republican Party. Senator Marco Rubio generates the most buzz in this arena because he doesn’t stumble under questioning; but he's at best only a serviceable public speaker. Senator Ted Cruz can riff, but as one firefighter put it to Bloomberg’s Dave Weigel, his extemporaneous monologues make unconverted audiences feel like they need "to take a shower."



Like Cruz, Paul is every bit the ideologue, but without the cloying infomercial sheen. He’s relaxed and confident, which makes for a very persuasive combination. He's comfortable talking about ideas in public forums without sounding like he’s making canned sales pitches, because he actually built his career around a handful of core beliefs.

But he’s spent the last few years jettisoning those beliefs and sprinkling his record with contradictions, which makes him a bright red target for interviewers, who draw attention to his greatest weakness: extremely thin skin. In the unending contest to channel Ronald Reagan that defines Republican politics, Paul has a decidedly un-Reaganlike tendency to whine and complain and act petulant when challenged by reporters. It will be his undoing.

Less than a day after making his presidential candidacy official, Paul was back on television snapping at an NBC News anchor for daring to preface her questions about his changing foreign policy views with examples of his changing foreign policy views.

"Before we go through a litany of things you say I’ve changed on, why don’t you ask me a question, ‘Have I changed my opinion on it?’ That would be sort of a better way to approach an interview," Paul said, losing his composure. "No no no no no no no no; listen, you’ve editorialized, let me answer a question. You ask a question, ‘Have my views changed?’ instead of editorializing and saying my views have changed. OK, let’s start out with regard to foreign aid."