Ron Paul Changes Up Message, Highlights Time in the Military

Win McNamee/Getty Images(TRENTON, N.J.) -- Rep. Ron Paul has changed up his campaign speech and is now highlighting his years of military service.

The speech is still heavy with Paul’s bread-and-butter issues of ending the Federal Reserve and his love for the gold standard.

But at a campaign stop Monday afternoon in Trenton, N.J., Paul started his speech by highlighting his experience in the Air Force.

“I was drafted in 1962 and let me tell you, I don’t believe in the draft,” Paul said.

From a congressman who preaches a non-interventionist ideology, the rhetoric can be a bit confusing, and Paul acknowledged that Monday.

“If you’re not anxious to go into any war at any time, you’re labeled as being against the troops and you’re un-American,” Paul said. “It’s pretty bad.”

Paul insists he will be strong on national defense and will only go to war when necessary.

The Paul campaign recently launched a new TV ad, “A Veteran’s Best Friend,” which also highlights Paul’s years of military service.

Paul served as a flight surgeon in the Air Force from 1962 to 1965 and then in the Air National Guard from 1965 to 1968.

The 60-second ad and the new campaign speech both mark a turning point for the campaign, which until now has reluctantly discussed Paul’s military past.

Paul was asked during a WMUR-TV “Meet the Candidate” special earlier this year why he has not highlighted his years of service in the military. At the time, he was the only candidate in the race with a military background.

Paul smiled, started laughing, looked up and said that his staff keeps reminding him to do so.  He went on to say that being drafted was a burden to him and his family, but it was a worthwhile experience in the end.

Also during his campaign stop Monday, Paul highlighted the fact that he is the largest recipient of campaign donations from those who identify their employer as being the U.S. military.

The change in rhetoric by the campaign follows a lackluster weekend for the congressman. On Saturday, despite legions of supporters in Florida, Paul pulled in 10.4 percent in the Republican Party of Florida’s P5 straw poll in Orlando. That put him in fifth place.

He performed a little better in the Michigan straw poll, getting 7.7 percent of the 681 votes cast, placing him fourth.

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