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The Club for Growth has released its white paper on Ron Paul. Perhaps surprisingly, their assesment of the most libertarian Republican presidential candidate is mixed.

The Club praises Paul's record on taxes as "excellent" and points to his reliable opposition to big-ticket spending items. But the group also says the Texas congressman is "living in a fantasy world" when he supports free trade in theory but opposes trade deals, and they accuse him of making the "perfect the enemy of the good" on spending and tort reform as well.

It's a fair criticism -- Paul has voted against worthy government-cutting bills that didn't go far enough in his view, an approach he doesn't take with taxes (he has never voted against a tax cut on the grounds that the IRS would remain in place). But in the earmarks section, the Club neglects to mention that Paul usually votes against the final appropriations bill containing the earmarks. Criticizing the spending record of a congressman who votes against most appropriations bills, No Child Left Behind, and the Medicare prescription drug benefit because of some earmarks really does seem to be making the perfect the enemy of the good.

topics:
Taxes, Trade, Earmarks, Medicare