GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul on Wednesday explained the "precise" reasons driving him to continue his campaign despite the fact that, by almost all accounts, he can't beat out frontrunner Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination.
"It certainly isn't for the reason of disrupting a convention," Paul told CNN. "I'm in it for very precise reasons: to maximize our efforts to get as many delegates as we can. I'm still a candidate, and to promote something that is very, very important -- that is a change in the direction for the Republican Party. To be a fiscal conservative Republican Party, to not be a party that supports endless wars, and a party that would look into the monetary system so that we can understand the business cycle."
Current delegate totals indicate that a Paul comeback is a numerical impossibility, but that hasn't stopped the libertarian-leaning Texas Republican from being a thorn in the side of Romney and the GOP establishment.
Paul's supporters have effectively taken control of GOP conventions in various states, wrangling delegates to support their candidate at the RNC convention this summer -- and perhaps propel him into a prominent speaking slot at the gathering.
Asked about the prospect of delivering a keynote speech, Paul said he would only be interested for the purpose of "moving an agenda," a goal he said would get more traction if he headed to the convention with a solid slate of delegates.
Paul continued, drawing a contrast between his platform and Romney's.
"I know what I believe in, but I'm not sure where he stands on these issues of, say, the Federal Reserve and fiscal policy -- cutting spending," Paul said, explaining that a Romney endorsement could be a long way off, or perhaps never happen at all. "I really don't know the details of where he is on these positions."