Before this week, the only Republican that I would consider voting for (in the primary and in the general election) was Senator Chuck Hagel. Hagel’s a good guy, but I’ve changed my vote now that Congressman Ron Paul is in the running:

Rep. Ron Paul, the iconoclastic, nine-term lawmaker from southeast Texas, took the first step Thursday toward a second, quixotic presidential bid _ this time as a Republican…

“There’s no question that it’s an uphill battle, and that Dr. Paul is an underdog,” Snyder said. “But we think it’s well worth doing and we’ll let the voters decide.”

Paul limits his view of the role of the federal government to those duties laid out in the Constitution. As a result, he sometimes casts votes at odds with his constituents and other Republicans.

Paul has been my favorite modern-day politician ever since I first got interested in politics back in high school. He’s a true libertarian, and he’s exactly what this country needs.

Given the excitement on sites from right-wing Free Republic, to left-wing Daily Kos, to geek-wing Digg, Paul can count on a diverse base that has been all but ignored by the mainstream media and pundits. 2008 will be the year the election will finally be decided by You, mobilized by grassroots blogs and sites like YouTube. This will be Howard Dean’s Internet fueled rise to the top, times 100, and without the meltdown. Get ready for a campaign like no other.

This country is tired of candidates like Mitt and McCain and Hillary and Obama. We don’t want more of the same. I look forward to finally being able to vote for someone I actually want and believe in.