For coming in an astonishing second place in today’s Iowa Straw Poll, behind Rep. Michele Bachmann by a razor-thin margin.  This counts as a pure victory for Ron Paul, given that he neither hails from Iowa nor subscribes to the foreign-policy adventurism of most of the state party.  He came in a distant fifth in this poll in 2007.  This time his distance from first place was essentially a rounding error.

Congratulations and a big thank-you to the Iowa campaign team on the ground: Steve Bierfeldt, A.J. Spiker, David Fischer, and Drew Ivers — fine gentlemen all.