If that was the case, though, why didn’t Paul denounce them earlier, when he eventually did become aware of how bad it was? And why hasn’t he subsequently named names? Clearly, in retrospect, that seems like it would have been the best response. This is the biggest riddle in the whole mess, and there is no fully satisfying answer so far.
Sam Gwynne, in his 2001 Texas Monthly profile, pondered this, too. Gwynne wrote: “His reasons for keeping this a secret are harder to understand: [Paul says] ‘They were never my words, but I had some moral responsibility for them . . . I actually really wanted to try to explain that it doesn't come from me directly, but they [campaign aides] said that's too confusing. 'It appeared in your letter and your name was on that letter and therefore you have to live with it.'"
In retrospect, this was very bad advice.
Concludes Gwynne in Texas Monthly: “It is a measure of his stubbornness, determination, and ultimately his contrarian nature that, until this surprising volte-face in our interview, he had never shared this secret. It seems, in retrospect, that it would have been far, far easier to have told the truth at the time."
Similarly, in his 2007 New York Times Magazine profile, Christopher Caldwell puzzled over why Paul did not simply identify those who wrote the offensive lines. Caldwell’s conclusion: “What is interesting is Paul’s idea that the identity of the person who did write those lines is ‘of no importance.’ Paul never deals in disavowals or renunciations or distancings, as other politicians do.”
It is fair to accuse Paul of sloppy management and bad judgment in this affair; indeed, he says so himself. Paul may also be simply saying, “The buck stops here.” It is possible, as some claim, he is protecting friends and advisors who have gone on to other careers. Perhaps Paul believes his public record and his decades of utterly spotless behavior are enough to make it clear to all reasonable people that charges of bigotry are groundless.
Regardless, what is most important is that Paul has strongly and repeatedly denounced and repudiated the offensive content of the newsletters. He has also convincingly denied his authorship. And clearly they don’t match either his style or his views.
Immediately responding to the TNR article, Paul said: "The quotations in The New Republic article are not mine and do not represent what I believe or have ever believed. I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts. In fact, I have always agreed with Martin Luther King, Jr. that we should only be concerned with the content of a person's character, not the color of their skin. ... For over a decade, I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name."
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
