Newt Gingrich responded to Paul's attacks with dismissiveness. Paul draws Sioux City fire

Ron Paul’s continuing strength in Iowa earned him a series of attacks from his rivals on stage Thursday — and a grilling from Fox News personalities during and after the debate.

Though they enrage Paul’s passionate followers, political analysts often say his views on foreign policy, drug laws and the federal government are seen as almost certain to keep him from the nomination.


Paul didn’t veer from previous statements Thursday, but with polls showing him near the top of the field in Iowa and almost certain to be a factor in the caucuses and beyond, he faced the kind of scrutiny usually reserved for the field’s other leading candidates.

Despite the constant fire as being too extreme for the GOP electorate, he refused to budge, even on taking a tougher stance against Iran — an idea that draws nearly universal agreement among Republicans.

Asked what he would do if given proof that Iran had obtained a nuclear bomb, Paul kept to his isolationist ground that he wouldn’t engage in another war in the Middle East. Paul said trumped up threats were being created to scare people into war.

After the debate, Paul went so far as to defend Iran, saying people should investigate the context of the incendiary remarks from Iranian leaders they quote.

“I think they’re acting in self-defense,” Paul told Fox News host Sean Hannity after the debate, expanding on his argument. “That is a gross distortion of this debate that they’re on the verge of a nuclear weapon.”

Hannity didn’t hide his distaste.

“His position on Iran scares me,” Hannity said later during an interview with Michele Bachmann.

Hannity, who acknowledged that Paul’s supporters were going to be unhappy with the line of questions, pressed him the most of the five candidates who came on his program after the debate.

Paul repeated that he thinks that Iraq war led to death of innocent Iraqis and he doesn’t support going to war in Iran. He has insisted that American involvement overseas is causing foreign groups to dislike the country.

“Don’t you think we would be annoyed if somebody bombed us for 10 years?” Paul asked.

On the debate stage, Paul’s rivals frequently tangled with him, using him as a foil particularly on foreign policy issues.

Rick Santorum locked horns with him yet again over his policy toward Iran. Paul also sparred with Bachmann over cutting spending and took another swipe at Newt Gingrich for the work he did for Freddie Mac after leaving office.

Shortly afterward, debate moderator Neil Cavuto tried to find an example of hypocrisy in Paul’s positions, pointing out that Paul secured earmarks for his district despite railing against federal spending.

“They take our money, they take our highway funds, and we have every right to apply for them to come back,” Paul explained.

“I never voted for an earmark,” he said. “But I do argue the case for my — the people I represent to try to get their money back if at all possible.”

The digging didn’t end there. Hannity confronted him with the issue of newsletters Paul edited in the ’90s that contained racist statements. Paul said he was not responsible for the contents of the newsletter and disagrees with the piece.

Paul did not, though, draw an attack from Gingrich, whom he attacked at the debate and has been tearing apart in two local television ads running accusing the former House speaker of flip-flopping.

Instead, Gingrich responded with dismissiveness.

“It’s very tough to dislike Ron Paul,” Gingrich said in an interview with Hannity on Fox News. “He is who he is.”

For his part, Paul continued sketching out a campaign platform that veers far from that of his rivals.

“I would be a different kind of president,” Paul said. “I wouldn’t be looking for more power. Everybody wants to be a powerful executive and run things. I as a president wouldn’t want to run the world.”

Pressed again after the debate, Paul said he couldn’t “conceive” of making a third-party run.

Not that he thinks his controversial views would keep him from beating Barack Obama in the general election.

“Fortunately for the Republican Party this year, probably every — anybody up here could probably beat Obama,” Paul said at the debate. “I think really the question is, is what do we have to offer? And I have something different to offer.”