Ron Paul on Mitt Romney speech: 'Very pleasant'

Ron Paul on Mitt Romney speech: 'Very pleasant'
By TIM MAK | 9/5/12 6:54 AM EDT

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Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) confirmed Tuesday that he wouldn't be looking at a third-party independent run, joking with late-night host Jay Leno that he needs to "take a rest and prepare for 2016."

"The system is very biased. We talk a lot about democracy. We send our troops overseas. We want to spread democracy. But democracy isn't all that healthy in this country, because, if you're in a third party, you don't get into the debates," said Paul on "The Tonight Show." "The truth is that if I would have tried to do what I have done over the last several years to do exactly what I have done in a third party, I probably wouldn't have made it to your show."

"If you ever come [to] the conclusion, heaven forbid, that the two parties aren't that different, then what is left?" asked Paul, explaining why he remains a Republican.

Paul declined to endorse Romney, saying he had "no clue" who he would vote for on Election Day, instead vowing to "keep plugging along."

Asked by Leno whether he would have received a speaking role at the convention if he had endorsed Romney, Paul replied affirmatively.

"I imagine I would have," said the Texas congressman, who noted, however, that while the endorsement was a presumed prerequisite, it wasn't asked for "in writing."

"Kind of like NBC. Yeah, OK, I get it," quipped Leno.

Paul also drew laughs when he was asked about Romney's convention speech.

"It was nice," said Paul simply. "It was very pleasant. But it wouldn't have been the speech that I would have given. I would have talked about foreign policy and some other things."

Paul even had nice things to say about actor Clint Eastwood's bizarre address at the convention.

"I probably wouldn't have given that one either," joked Paul, who, at 77, is about five years younger than Eastwood.

"No, I thought it was pretty good. One part that I liked about it was that he was critical of the president. … and he says, why don't you just bring those troops home tomorrow?" Paul continued.

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