Ron Paul cannot be called a dark horse as Abraham Lincoln once was, because now there is too much known about him.  He is the nightmare for Republicans and a cult hero for the libertarians.  He is a friend to the John Birchers but no friend to Israel.

He is charged with racist leanings from statements made on an old newsletter bearing his name which he claims he never contributed to, and a foreign policy disaster by just about anyone who has heard his views on everything from the Vietnam War to Iran.  Now some say he is Ron Paul the serious contender for the Oval Office.

A former practicing physician, Paul still looks the part of a doting, somewhat stodgy old doc who would be as dependable as Old Faithful -- truly concerned for his patients, but overtly opinionated and just a bit eccentric.

His followers are fiercely devoted to him and, by comparison, make Obama's sycophants look like the casual cocktail set.  These people, it is said, are ready to follow him directly over any cliff off which he may decide to walk.

It is now abundantly clear that depending on Iowans to decide who the very best candidate is for the nomination is a lost hope.  Starting with Michele Bachmann and winding up through the field with Romney, Perry, and not long ago Newt Gingrich, Iowans have shown that they simply don't know exactly what to think -- but today, they're thinking Ron Paul.  Is Iowa like the weather?  Should we just wait a minute, and it will change?  Tuesday, January 3, is only days and minutes away; who knows?

Iowa produced American hero John Wayne, but it also produced one of the country's earliest and most deadly set of unsolved mass murders: the Axe Murders of Villisca, circa 1912.  With its national role weighing on Iowans' minds, and turnout requiring a multi-hour commitment, the causes are a bit of an enigma.  Iowa's track record of predicting Republican nominees is poor.  Is Iowa a reflection of America's state of mind?  God help us if that is so.

Newt Gingrich thinks that Ron Paul is beyond the pale -- even more so than the incumbent is.  In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Newt said, "I think Barack Obama is very destructive to the future of the United States.  I think Ron Paul's views are totally outside the mainstream of virtually every decent American."

Rick Perry said, "You don't have to vote for a candidate who will allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, because America will be next," while campaigning in Urbandale.

Mitt Romney said, "One of the people running for president thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon," although he didn't name Paul specifically.  Romney also showed his disdain for Paul's views on how to deal with North Korea as he visited Muscatine, Iowa.

Michele Bachmann said, "Ron Paul doesn't believe the government should protect the institution of marriage" according to the New York Times.  Paul's idea that the government should "butt out" of the gay marriage question doesn't make sense to her and a growing number of Americans who think that the Defense of Marriage Act should be given at least the same pass liberal Americans are so ready to give abortion, which is "the law of the land."

What the candidates and the entire citizenry of Iowa may think of Ron Paul runs a weak second to what he really will be if he runs as a third-party candidate.  Nothing he has ever said, or done, will keep it from happening.  Ron Paul will become the Ross Perot of the 2012 elections.

It is not enough to remind Americans that a vote is a privilege given toward deciding who should be allowed a public office.  It is not now, nor was it ever a means of making a statement or voicing an opinion alone.

A few years ago, voicing an opinion required a letter to an editor, followed by the hope that your letter would be chosen from among the hundreds submitted.  Today, opinions cannot be numbered, and they fill the millions of blogs across the web like snowflakes in the worst blizzard of the season.  Like snowflakes, they quickly melt and are soon forgotten.  Voting for a president means four long years, and a very slow melt if we decide that our choice was indeed unadvised.

The bottom line is that no political wizardry is needed to see that any independent who drains the votes from major-party candidates will be assuring that President Barack Obama gets re-elected.

A vote for Ron Paul, if he runs as a third-party candidate, is a vote for Barack Obama.

The website www.americanprophet.org has since 2005 featured the articles of columnist Rev. Michael Bresciani along with news and reviews that have earned this site the title of The Website for Insight.  Millions have read Rev. Bresciani's timely reports and articles in online journals and print publications across the nation and the globe.