I expect better of Sullivan than this:

...I see in Paul none of the resentment that burns in Gingrich or the fakeness that defines Romney or the fascistic strains in Perry's buffoonery. He has yet to show the Obama-derangement of his peers, even though he differs with him. He has now gone through two primary elections without compromising an inch of his character or his philosophy. This kind of rigidity has its flaws, but, in the context of the Newt Romney blur, it is refreshing. He would never take $1.8 million from Freddie Mac. He would never disown Reagan, as Romney once did. He would never speak of lynching Bernanke, as Perry threatened. When he answers a question, you can see that he is genuinely listening to it and responding - rather than searching, Bachmann-like, for the one-liner to rouse the base. He is, in other words, a decent fellow, and that's an adjective I don't use lightly. We need more decency among Republicans

Earlier in the piece, Sullivan says he was leaning toward endorsing Jon Huntsman, but "he simply hasn't connected with the voters, generates little enthusiasm, and has run a mediocre campaign." So because Jon Huntsman doesn't connect with the crazy right-wing base of the Republican Party, Sullivan is endorsing a candidate who wants to make abortion illegal and who promises to shutter five government departments ("Energy, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce and Interior")? He's supporting a candidate whose energy platform resembles the wet dream of a Captain Planet villain? He's calling a bigot whose newsletter was a platform for white supremacists a "decent fellow?" Why would you support a man who wants to shutter Medicare and Medicaid, along with Social Security? Isn't the social safety net flimsy enough for you as it is?

I get that Sullivan's trying to get the Republicans to think differently—and I'm sure the fact that this endorsement will probably generate a couple hundred thousand hits for the Daily Beast won't hurt, either—but this is ridiculous. Ron Paul is a man whose life goal is to destroy the United States of America by handing it over to the free market. I hope those outrage-inspired pageviews feel good, Sullivan, because you sure did earn them this time.