Once again, Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) has launched a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Modifiers such as “quixotic” and “long-shot” will inevitably preface discussions of his candidacy, perhaps with good reason, but words such as “vague” or “ambiguous” should not be part of that conversation.

Paul has little problem explaining his often-controversial views, from junking the Federal Reserve to legalizing drugs. And now, with “Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom,” Paul details his thoughts on virtually every hot-button debate.

No time to read it? Here’s a sample:

On abortion: “One thing I believe for certain is that the federal government should never tax pro-life citizens to pay for abortions. The constant effort by the pro-choice crowd to fund abortion must rank among the stupidest policies ever, even from their viewpoint. All they accomplish is to give valiant motivation for all pro-life forces as well as the antitax supporters of abortion to fight against them.”

On terrorism: “The term ‘war on terror’ should never be used as anything more than a cliche, like ‘war on’ drugs, poverty, illiteracy, etc. But its use is deliberate, even in these symbolic usages, to con the people into thinking that all citizens must cooperate and sacrifice our liberties to ‘win’ the war.”

On WikiLeaks: “In the end, [Julian] Assange is just one man with a laptop and he was merely releasing what is true, information that embarrassed many but harmed no one. And this is the man that so many think ought to be subject to the death penalty?”

On climate change: “Most Americans have been bamboozled into believing that all reputable scientists believe in global warming and that CO2 emissions are a major problem. The truth is there are just as many and even more qualified scientists refuting the sketchy and questionable evidence regarding global warming.”

On immigration: “Most immigrants do not come for handouts; rather, they come for survival reasons and have a work ethic superior to many of our own citizens who have grown dependent on welfare and unemployment benefits.”

On torture: “The real tragedy is that sadistic cruelty is contagious and dehumanizes those who employ torture. Sadism begets sadism. The ‘need’ for torture and the acceptance of it comes from unabashed fear, insecurity, and ignorance.”

outlook@washpost.com

Carlos Lozada is editor of Outlook.

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