Fed Foe Ron Paul Breakfasts With Bernanke at Central Bank

One day after chairing a hearing on proposals to abolish or overhaul the central bank, the Texan congressman sat down for the first meal of the day Wednesday with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, the lawmaker confirmed in a brief interview at the Capitol. The decision to meet for breakfast at the Fed was "mutual," said Mr. Paul, who last year introduced a bill to eliminate the central bank.

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Wednesday's breakfast brought together two figures who publicly agree on very little. A longtime critic of paper currency and fan of the gold standard, Mr. Paul's fiery Fed-bashing has enthused his campaign trail supporters, who often start rallies with loud chants of "end the Fed!"

Mr. Bernanke, meanwhile, dedicated a significant chunk of his first lecture at George Washington University in March to enumerating the flaws associated with a system in which the dollar is valued at a fixed price per unit of gold.

So did Wednesday's meeting overturn any deep-set beliefs?

"He's for the gold standard now," joked Mr. Paul.