In order for a candidate to attract supporters, he needs at least one of two things: to show that he is winning, or to show that he has the potential to win.  In the early stages, which we are now, a candidate can be viable and still be in single digits in the polls, as long as people think he has potential to move up.  The minute he concedes that he's not going to win, he's lost.

And that's just what Rand Paul has reportedly done.

In March, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul put his odds of winning the Republican presidential nomination at "one in five, one in six."

But on a Thursday night conference call with Republicans who will vote this Saturday on whether to have a presidential caucus next year, Paul adjusted those odds to "one in 10."

Perhaps Rand Paul would be a great odds maker in Las Vegas.  As a presidential candidate, however, he leaves much to be desired.

He doesn't have much of a record, with his main issues seeming to be easing the laws on drugs and criminals while tightening privacy laws.  His close friendship with Mitch McConnell made him more than a bit suspect.

But Paul has assets: he is young, has vibrant, kinky hair, and has inherited the mantle from his father, Ron Paul.  Some thought that was enough.

It isn't.

Rand Paul simply has no fire in the belly.  He just got back from a long trip to Haiti performing eye surgeries on poor people.  That's commendable, but it shows warped priorities when he is supposed to be running for president.  He has skipped a number of presidential gatherings and has not campaigned as long or as vigorously as other serious candidates.

Like Fred Thompson, who ran for president only half-seriously with limited appearances riding around in a golf cart, Paul seems to think he can phone it in.  He's raised only a small fraction of the money of other candidates and has prioritized vacations over campaigning.

I believe he doesn't have the sheer desire to be president.  Sure, he'd do it if it were handed to him, but he doesn't seem willing to fight for it.

His latest debacle is trying to change the primary in Kentucky to a caucus.  He promised to pay the cost of the caucus but refused to shell over the money before the vote on the rule change:

The cost of switching to a caucus, which would allow Paul to run for president and the U.S. Senate at the same time, was a major topic as Republicans wanted to know why Paul had not transferred an initial payment of $250,000 to an RPK account as he said he had in a letter this week.

Republicans wanted to know why Paul was waiting until the proposal passed at the state central committee meeting this Saturday, and Paul responded that there was no need to transfer the money unless Kentucky's Republicans don't trust their junior senator. Paul was asked several times about the money and whose account it is currently in. Paul also raised some eyebrows by suggesting that Republicans pass a bag during the caucuses to raise money to pay for the event.

Seriously, passing a paper bag around the caucuses to raise money for it?  Paul isn't even willing to pay for the rule change that would benefit him.

We need a candidate who's going to fight every step of the way.  That doesn't seem to be Rand Paul.

This article was produced by NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site.