Snubbed in Fox debate, Paul says network has 'lost all credibility'

David Edwards and Jason Rhyne Published: Monday January 7, 2008  del.icio.us |
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Still smarting after being excluded from Sunday night's GOP debate broadcast on Fox News, Republican presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) on Monday slammed the network as having "lost all credibility."

Appearing on CNN's American Morning program, the internet fundraising phenom said voters had been cheated by Fox's debate protocol, which required participating candidates to notch at least 10 percent support in national polling.

"I think this is an awful embarrassment for Fox to do something like this," said Paul. "We got 10 percent in Iowa, raised more money than any other candidate in the Republican side in the last quarter, and our polls in New Hampshire are much better than Giuliani."

The latest polling out of New Hampshire shows Paul actually running slightly behind Republican rival Rudy Giuliani, with 6 to 11 percent support. But the candidate does appear to be fairing better than former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN), who despite low single-digit support in New Hampshire was invited to participate in the Fox debate.

"All of a sudden they say I don't qualify to be in the debate?" asked Paul. "They're making a mockery of the whole situation and I think they're going to suffer for it, quite frankly, because they've lost all credibility."

The New Hampshire Republican party axed its partnership with Fox prior to the event, citing the network's exclusion of "lesser-known, lesser-funded underdogs."

"They never talked to us," said Paul of Fox News. "We even had Fox affiliates around the country calling them. They wouldn't talk to them... the New Hampshire Republican Party used good sense and they got out of it. They didn't co-sponsor the event. They knew it was a sham, and it didn't represent what New Hampshire stands for."

This video is from CNN's American Morning, broadcast January 7, 2008.