Whatever you happen to think about Ron Paul and Willard Romney as presidential candidates, Ron Paul won the moral battle last night at the Republican National Convention.

Delegates from Nevada tried to nominate Mr. Paul from the floor, submitting petitions from their own state as well as Minnesota, Maine, Iowa, Oregon, Alaska and the Virgin Islands. That should have done the trick: Rules require signatures from just five states. But the party changed the rules on the spot. Henceforth, delegates must gather petitions from eight states.

That’s what the hubbub on the floor early yesterday evening was about. The Paulbots discovered that the governing committee changed the rules on them, and changed them at such a time when it was impossible to make the deadline to obtain one more state’s petitions.

So, it wasn’t enough that Romney had a lock on the Rethuglican nomination; he and his cronies had to take a five-pound sledgehammer to the hand that was fumbling for keys to that lock.

As much as it pains me to say so, Ron Paul won the moral battle yesterday.