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U.S. Rep. Ron Paul is a rarity in politics. While many politicians face crisis of hypocrisy and questionable personal or political ethics, media attention surrounding Paul focuses on the merits of his ideas.

Whether you agree or disagree with Paul’s views, it cannot be argued that the man has a strong sense of public ethics. He is honest and keeps his word, makes himself available to his constituents, and there has never been even a whiff of corruption from his office.

That is why it is so surprising that the Congressman would even consider using leftover campaign contributions to fund a private, for-profit publishing company. This, in possible violation of election laws.

In an Associated Press story that appeared on the front page of the Advocate on April 28, a Federal Election Commission spokesman said that the law maintains that such funds can be used “for any lawful purpose, so long as it’s not personal use for the candidate.” The story went on to say that campaign funds cannot be used to “seed a for-profit corporation that benefits an individual or shareholder.”

So Paul’s latest intent is surprising behavior from a man who every year returns federal money he doesn’t use for his office.

Perhaps the reason Paul has so far shown himself absence of corruption is because he is, first and foremost, a man of ideas. For such men, the individual is subservient to the message. This can be a good quality in that the individual is not driven by selfish desires, but a need to make the world a better place.

But such idealism can have a darker side as well, leading the person down a Machiavellian path where the ends justify the means. The problem with such a view is that the ends can take a back seat to the means. Thus, when the means are questionable, so do the ends.

Paul, then, is unlikely driven by any sense of greed, but by a desire to spread his ideas deeper into America. However, even if Paul can find some loophole in the election laws, the plan still smells bad and could tarnish his greatest political strength: one of Washington’s few honest politicians.