As we settle into the fall semester and get used to waking up before noon, it’s easy to forget about the relatively immediate scenarios of global warming, an irresponsible war and the story receiving the most coverage, O.J. Simpson getting arrested for stealing sports memorabilia and an old suit. But if none of those catch your interest, there is always the Presidential Election of 2008.

For some, it’s too early to be thinking about presidential candidates, while other students will simply choose not to vote. It’s sad, but the majority of students on campus are either too lazy or make up irrelevant excuses like typical New Yorkers. ‘Why vote? My vote doesn’t matter ‘ New York will never decide an election.’

However, I am confident that a decent number of you will hit the polls, and for those of who insist on voting Republican, I ask that you vote for the only one who makes any sense, the best candidate you’ve never heard of (no, it’s not the ‘Law and Order’ guy). I speak, of course, of Congressman Ron Paul. Don’t recognize the name? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. I conducted a little poll on campus and hardly anyone knew who he was.

Ron Paul, or ‘Dr. No,’ as he is known in Congress, is a true constitutionalist who is seeking the nomination of the Republican Party as he runs for president of the United States. Dr. Paul voted against the Patriot Act, domestic spying and executive secrecy. He is a Republican of the old school variety, that is, he believes in a small government. Unlike Rudy Giuliani who will invoke the attacks of Sept. 11 anywhere he goes in a pitiful attempt to win over uneducated voters, Ron Paul speaks the truth. In fact, in a nationally televised debate he stated that the United States practically invited the acts of Sept. 11 because our leaders continue to stick their noses into places where they don’t belong.

In particular, Paul is quoted as saying:

‘They attacked us because we’d been over there, we’d been bombing Iraq for 10 years ‘ right now we’re building an embassy in Iraq that’s bigger than the Vatican ‘ what would we say here if China was doing this in our country? We would be objecting. We need to look at what we do from the perspective of what would happen if somebody else did it to us.’

In addition to preaching nonintervention, Ron Paul has a steady track record of voting against governmental policies and acts that would take money away from tax payers and use it to strip Americans of their natural rights. His staunch belief in small government translates to the abolition of institutions such as the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, the U.N., NATO and NAFTA, just to name a few.

However, if you support the government and their use of fear mongering, then Ron Paul is not the candidate for you. There are hallmark Republican drawbacks to Paul; his being pro-life and supporting nonintervention to such a degree that he believes America should not stage missions directly related to the killings in Darfur are questionable at best.

Ron Paul is unlike any Republican candidate our generation has seen. He supports lower taxes, is against the Iraq War, strongly opposes illegal immigration and is against the Patriot Act. As Stephen Colbert put it, he is ‘an enigma wrapped in a riddle nestled in a sesame seed bun of mystery,’ and is definitely worth reading up on.

But if you’ve had enough reading after this column, then go home and take the easy way out. Go to YouTube, type in Ron Paul, turn up the speakers and the computer will do the rest.