Ron Paul on a Third Party Run

When Ron Paul is asked if he'll run as a third party candidate, he all but rules it out.

I think he might wield more clout if he just said, "Yes. If I'm not nominated by the Republican Party, I will almost certainly run as a third party candidate."

At present, Ron Paul isn't being taken seriously enough. Discussion of a possible third-party run would change that. A Ron Paul third-party candidacy would almost certainly doom the Republican candidate... which would force the Republican party to take him seriously. Even the neocon Republicans would have to decide - Obama or Paul?

Personally, I don't see that much difference between Bush II and Obama, so the idea of a Bush II clone doesn't thrill me, and the threat of a second Obama term doesn't scare me any more than 8 years of Romney, Perry, Cain or Gingrich.

So what do you think? Should Ron Paul just come out and say, "I'm running for president - hopefully as a Republican, but as a third party candidate otherwise."