Ron Paul speaks truth to power. The more debates he is in, the worse it is for the top tier candidates. The first time they actually have to respond to him on the merits and not just ignore him or insult him, they are on a slippery slope of trouble.
"...A famous Orwell quote captures what is happening. "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." And while many have been working to prepare ground for truth and freedom in this country, I think we will note that the first shots in this revolution have been fired by Ron Paul. Orwell had glimpsed what would become the modern political state, globally engaged in endless wars, fighting shadowy enemies who constantly change, because they never really mattered anyway. What mattered, and what still matters, is war, with its handmaidens Fear and Public Amnesia. Without fear and amnesia, holding on to domestic political power in the American neoconservative oligarchy becomes risky, uncertain. ...." http://www.lewrockwell.com/kwiatkowski/kwiatkowski183.html