Charges that Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has entered into some sort of secret pact with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appear to be putting Paul on the defensive.
The Paul campaign sent out an email Thursday morning to supporters in which he mocks the media's focus on a campaign "conspiracy." And while the email avoids actually mentioning what that conspiracy is, the rest of the text suggests sensitivity to the charge that the Paul campaign has held its punches when it comes to Romney's record.
The email points to an ad that Paul ran titled "Three of a Kind" in which he goes after Romney, along with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Sen. Rick Santorum. Elsewhere, the email offers a detailed critique of Romney's support for the TARP bailout, traditional marriage, abortion, gun rights, taxes and spending.
"Mitt Romney has been on both sides of virtually every issue important to conservative voters," it reads.
This bullet point too, was followed by similar ones addressing Gingrich and Santorum's records. Still, it's rare for the Paul campaign to say anything remotely critical of Romney -- Paul has never done so in any of the GOP debates. The fact that his campaign sent this out amid all the chatter about a supposed secret pact suggests that it is wary of the effect that chatter is having on the congressman's large pool of devoted supporters.