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Last weekend, Ron Paul started running radio ads in New Hampshire. The script hits familiar themes -- it talks about his service in the Air Force, the number of babies he delivered as an OB-GYN (which also may subtly remind some voters that Paul is pro-life), the facts that he refused his congressional pension and has never voted for a tax increase or unbalanced budget. All areas of common ground between Paul and most other Republicans, emphasizing his purity from a conservative perspective.

What the ad rather conspicuously doesn't mention in Paul's opposition to the Iraq war (though it does suggest people visit his campaign website, which makes his antiwar views fairly clear). The only position it emphasizes that would be controversial among conservatives is that he's never voted to increase executive power (though certainly that position can be said to have a conservative pedigree). We'll see whether this will help Paul broaden his base or whether is plays down the very attribute that makes the Texas congressman different from the rest of the GOP field.

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