What made the statements in the publication even more puzzling was that, in four terms as a U. S. congressman and one presidential race, Paul had never uttered anything remotely like this.
When I ask him why, he pauses for a moment, then says, I could never say this in the campaign, but those words werent really written by me. It wasnt my language at all. Other people help me with my newsletter as I travel around. I think the one on Barbara Jordan was the saddest thing, because Barbara and I served together and actually she was a delightful lady. Paul says that item ended up there because we wanted to do something on affirmative action, and it ended up in the newsletter and became personalized. I never personalize anything.
His reasons for keeping this a secret are harder to understand: They were never my words, but I had some moral responsibility for them . . . I actually really wanted to try to explain that it doesnt come from me directly, but they [campaign aides] said thats too confusing. It appeared in your letter and your name was on that letter and therefore you have to live with it. It is a measure of his stubbornness, determination, and ultimately his contrarian nature that, until this surprising volte-face in our interview, he had never shared this secret. It seems, in retrospect, that it would have been far, far easier to have told the truth at the time.