[ALawPoker]

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but it is pretty safe to say that anyone who would be inclined to vote for Ron Paul would not even remotely consider saying they "approve" of what Bush has done as president. Any Ron Paul supporter who would say that they approve of Bush is either brain dead or has no idea of what Ron Paul stands for.

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This is true enough if we're talking about October 6th. Paul's support right now is from primarily principled libertarians. But if we're entertaining the idea that Ron Paul garners enough mainstream support to consider him a viable candidate, then clearly his base would need to expand to include a different demographic. Whether that could happen is of course something I'd agree is a long shot and fair grounds for debate, but you are basically trying to define the terms of the debate in a way that proves your conclusion.

RP talks about Iraq a lot, for example, because it separates him from the rest of the pack and gets him some fringe exposure. With more money and mainstream press, and if he sensed a growing viability of actually being elected, he could easily reconcile his language to appear less fringe, while still compromising nothing. He could focus more on gun rights, abortion, and illegal immigration. Most of his '88 clips (I think) actually do a better job of jacking off a typical Republican. He just talks a little differently now because Iraq is such a golden opportunity for him, and even if he appears fringe it's his best shot of making some noise.

All you're really saying is "Because people who currently support Ron Paul despise Bush, it is impossible that he could win over a different demographic of voter." Paul stands for a lot of the things someone who says they "approve" of Bush would claim to stand for, even if they don't realize it right now.

So rather than ask:

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I would love to ask a follow up question to that 69% of Republican and see what percentage of them might vote for Ron Paul.

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You should ask them how they feel about individual issues, and then ask yourself if it's at all possible that maybe they will begin to think differently of Paul in the coming months.