I would add one more item to that list: Ron Paul being consistent.

As Europe and Latin America faced revolutionary moments throughout the 2000s, it was Dr. Paul who remained a constant voice against U.S. intervention and engagement in foreign countries.

With Slovakia seen as one of the first cases to feature tactics later associated with the "color revolutions," as a member of Congress, Paul provided commentary on the methods used. He summarized, "In Slovakia, NED [National Endowment for Democracy] funded several initiatives aimed at defeating the freely-elected government of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar."

Paul also noted how "IRI polls changed the nature of the campaign" and asked simply: "Is this democracy?"

The years to come provided only further instability in Europe, while Rep. Paul remained firm in his stances on the home front.

Starting in 1999, Ron Paul was already declaring U.S. involvement in Serbia illegitimate before the Bulldozer Revolution ever took place, calling NATO's war "immoral" and "illegal." Most importantly, he also declared regarding engagement in Kosovo, "If the President pursues an undeclared war and we fund it, we become partners."

After intervention in Venezuela, Dr. Paul was similarly direct in his criticism of overt U.S. involvement, scrutiny of which—including CIA knowledge of the "coup plot" and support from NED programs—Paul provided pointed commentary.

Among his most notable statements was that the quasi-government organization NED injects "soft money" into the domestic elections of foreign countries "in favor of one party or the other."

Paul's philosophy on interactions with other countries was best summarized by his introduction of the Belarus Freedom Act of 2004. Through this act, Paul argued for "peaceful trade and good relations with other countries."

Introduced two and a half years before the Jeans Revolution of 2006, the contrast with other members of Congress was stark. This included Senator John McCain (R-AZ) who provided a speech at a conference entitled "Axis of Evil: Belarus—the Missing Link," and co-sponsored the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004.

A marked departure from Paul's legislation, the Belarus Democracy Act called for American assistance for democratic political parties, NGOs, independent media, election observation, and professional training for members of Belarus's "democratic forces," while also calling for financial pressure against Alexander Lukashenko's government.