If America didn’t know who Texas Congressman Ron Paul was a week ago, they certainly know who he is now, due in great part to the exchange between him and Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani during the Republican Presidential Debate that took place last Tuesday.

Essentially, when one of the Fox News moderators questioned whether Ron Paul’s non-interventionist stance was appropriate in the wake of 9/11, the congressman argued that our government’s interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East was “a major contributing factor” as to why we were attacked on 9/11. As evidence, he cited the fact that our government had bombed Iraq for more than ten years and that Osama Bin Laden had cited our government’s interventions in the Middle East as a primary reason for his declaring war against the United States.

Rudy Giuliani responded abruptly and indignantly by invoking 9/11 and then distorting Ron Paul’s words–claiming that the congressman had said that the United States had “invited” the attack on 9/11 and then brushing off the congressman’s argument as “absurd” despite not offering any evidence whatsoever to contradict Ron Paul’s argument. After being loudly applauded by the Fox News audience, Giuliani demanded that Ron Paul retract his remarks, but the congressman did not back down, and instead lectured Giuliani on the phenomenon of “blowback”, citing the CIA and the 9/11 Commission as evidence for his argument. At that point, Giuliani and the remaining candidates asked to respond, but the Fox News moderators–caught unprepared by Ron Paul’s remarks–decided to abruptly end debate on this subject and move on to the most crucial of issues–the flying of the Confederate flag over the South Carolina state Capitol.

Immediately after the debate, Fox News correspondents couldn’y help themselves in distorting the exchange between Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani, with Karl Cameron accusing the congressman of asserting that the U.S. “effectively asked for the 9/11 attacks.” Shortly afterward, Ron Paul was interviewed by Fox New’s Hannity & Colmes and went head-to-head with a visibly annoyed Sean Hannity on the issue of the Iraq War.

Since then, news of the exchange between Ron and Giuliani spread throughout the mainstream media and the blogosphere like wildfire, with anti-war libertarians, liberals, and conservatives generally applauding Ron Paul and pro-war Republicans generally denouncing (and outright distorting) the Texas Congressman’s remarks. Ron made two appearance appearances on CNN–once on Wolf Blitzer’s show and once on Sunday’s Late Edition with John King, and he was praised on both HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher and ABC’s The View.

Last Saturday, a rally was held for Ron Paul in Austin Texas. Apparently several hundred people attended-including Libertarians, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. In the speech he gave to his audience, Mr. Paul talked about bringing libertarians, conservatives, and liberals together under an anti-war, pro-individual liberty banner. Here’s a partial transcript of his speech (the first eight minutes of which can be heard on the YouTube clip above):

Thank you. Thank you very much. This is a bit overwhelming–believe me. This is wonderful. You know, a few months ago–a matter of fact–somebody this evening told me last summer–he suggested I do this, and I was very, very reluctant, and I hinted in no way that I was planning to do it, nor did I really want to do it. And a few months after that–then others came to me, and they kept talking about it. And the truth is that I have been very, very reluctant. And I–it wasn’t that I was reluctant about our message because I think our message is powerful.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

But I really wasn’t sure whether I was the right person to do it, and eventually I said, “Yes, I will see and we’ll find out if there’s anybody out there. I think of the people who believe in true freedom in the way I think of the remnant. And evidently–you know–they say that the remnant was out there, and nobody could count them, and they didn’t know where they were, and you can’t find them, but the remnant will find you and find us. So it looks to me that the remnant is large and growing!

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

You know, isn’t it strange? Let’s, for a minute, assume–which shouldn’t be too great of an assumption–that I defend the Constitution moreso than the rest of the [sic] candidates.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

But isn’t it interesting also, that the Establishment figures the one that most defends the Constitution has to be eliminated from the debates. What’s going on in this country?!

(LOUD BOOS)

You know, I’m not going to ask, but I do know that there are a few people in here who are not traditional Republicans. Some call themselve Independent. Some call themselves Libertarian. Some call themselves even Democrats. There may be some Democrats here.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

Now the art of politics is to bring people together–it’s not to be divisive. When you’re running for an office, if you’re overly pure in the sense of–you know, you have to greet A, B, C, D–you say you have to bring coalitions together. There’s no doubt about it. And there are several groups of people who make up an electoral that I think are important this time. I think at the top of the list are the people who are looking for leadership in this country today are dealing with the complications from a very, very flawed foreign policy.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

And if we look at what happened in the election last year, I think the message was loud and strong–that they’re sick and tired of the consequences of the foreign policy that we have, and they’re looking for something new and different. And quite frankly, although the Democrats have politically benefited from that disenchantment with the Republican leadership on foreign policy, quite frankly, I don’t see anybody on the Democratic side that really has answered the call to come around and have a different foreign policy, because it looks to me like it’s more of the same thing.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

I think that issue brings a lot of people together. All the various political factions will come together. And right now it looks like probably about seventy percent of the country is looking for a different policy–especially in the Middle East–and readjust that.

On economic policy–it is something that if you ask almost a hundred percent of the Americans if they believe in the free enterprise system–you know what? Most Americans believe in the free enterprise system. Too often, though–too often–what happens is– “Yes I believe in free enterprise for myself, but I like–I mean–for everybody else, but I like special privileges for myself.” But to really believe in free enterprise you have to believe in market competition for everybody, and nobody gets subsidies.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

A lot of time, they think that subsidies and welfare goes to poor people. Yeah, there’s some welfare that goes to poor people, but sometimes I think they’re crumbs. The real big welfare in the system we have goes to the military industrial complex and the big banks. That’s where it goes!

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

But the market economy should bring people together–especially when it’s realized that the system we have today is ripping off the middle class and the poor. They’re the ones who suffer from the inflation and the regulations and all the government interference. So that, to me, is an issue that brings people together.

One person once told me not to long ago–I think it was said on television–they said, “Well, you ought to run as a Democrat.” And I said, “Why should I run as a Democrat? I’m the most conservative member of the congress.”

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

So they get twisted up. They don’t know how to label those of us who believe in liberty because liberty is really pervasive. It’s beneficial to everybody! It’s not beneficial to special groups so if–so you can vote for–you know–less money. Now there’s some very well known liberal individuals in this country who are coming and supporting our campaign, which is very interesting. You would say, “Well, liberals don’t like–they like big spending and all. But why would they be coming out and endorsing our campaign now?”

Quite frankly, because of foreign policy and attacking special interests for the rich and the benefits. This is a tremendously powerful message. And there’s another element that should bring people together, and that is the concept of personal, individual liberty.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

Personal liberty is not a special interest. It’s the only interest that really counts. See, I don’t like to think of rights being group rights. Not to offend anybody, but I don’t see things like women’s rights and minority rights and all this. I just don’t think that’s possible. Rights are given to individuals–I personally have a belief that they come from our Creator.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

Which means, then, that your life is your own–that you have your own responsibility. I mean, you have a responsibility of what’s going to happen for eternity’s sake, so you ought to have responsibility of what you’re going to do here on earth as well.

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

(NOTE: This post was cross-posted at The Coming Realignment).