(Newser) – Ron Paul has decided to join Jon Huntsman in skipping the Donald Trump-moderated Newsmax debate, and his campaign didn’t mince words in explaining why. “The selection of a reality television personality to host a presidential debate … is beneath the office of the Presidency and flies in the face of that office’s history and dignity,” the campaign said in a statement. “Mr. Trump’s participation will contribute to an unwanted circus-like atmosphere.”

You can read the full statement at Politico, which observes that the Trump debate “looks like a kind of dignity test for the 2012 presidential field.” (Read more Ron Paul stories.)

