Ron Paul's Revolution PLUS The BODY for President

I got the impression last night, at Ron Paul's “Rally for the Republic,” which drew a crowd of over 10,000 to Minneapolis' Target Center, that the failed Republican presidential candidate really believes he is leading a revolution. Really.

At the rally planned at the same time as the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, he used “revolution” or its variants (i.e. revolutionary) 21 times during his speech to cheers from the sold-out crowd.

Paul, who attacked the United States government for “socialism, welfare-ism, corporatism,” and later, “militarism,” said the Republic is “essentially” lost and “hanging by a thread.”

And the crowd loved it, chanting “U.S.A.,” “Freedom,” “No ID,” (in reference to Paul's objections to a national identification card) and “Ron Paul,” at various points in his speech.

Former California Republican Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr. introduced Paul, and earlier in the evening former Minnesota Governor and WWF wrestler (as well as B-list action movie extra) Jesse “the Body” Ventura gave a rousing speech in support of Paul.

The Body also strongly hinted at a 2012 Presidential Bid. "If I see it in 2012, we'll give them a race they'll never forget,'' Ventura said.

In his speech, Paul ping-ponged from well formulated arguments to populist rabble-rousing.

He attacked the “establishment” for excluding dissenting ideas, took jabs at a foreign policy of “intervention,” and said the U.S. has a “greater moral responsibility in the rest of the world.”

He also said: “To get high on a hemp cigarette it has to be as big as a telephone pole,” as he defended the legalization of the plant.

I got the impression he may have been speaking from experience.

Paul/The Body2012?!