wow, a real republican for president, not some big government commie/fascist neo-con...

he'd make a great president, one who actually understands the constitution...there's no way he'd win...and even if he did...he'd probaby get the kennedy treatment.

http://news.galvestondailynews.com/s...14f4e5ebfeb3ad

Ron Paul considers run for president

From staff reports
The Daily News
Published January 12, 2007
Maverick Republican Congressman Ron Paul is eyeing a bigger office. Paul, whose district includes Galveston County, has formed an exploratory committee to run for president.

Paul, who ran for president on the Libertarian ticket in 1988, plans to seek the Republican nomination in 2008.

Paul filed incorporation papers in Texas on Thursday to create a presidential exploratory committee that allows him and his supporters to collect money on behalf of his bid.

Kent Snyder, the chairman of Paul??s exploratory committee and a former staffer on Paul??s Libertarian campaign, said the congressman knows he??s a long shot.

??There??s no question that it??s an uphill battle, and that Dr. Paul is an underdog,? Snyder said. ??But we think it??s well worth doing and we??ll let the voters decide.?

Paul, of Lake Jackson, acknowledges that the national GOP has never fully embraced him despite his nine terms in office under its banner. He gets little money from the GOP??s large traditional donors, but benefits from individual conservative and Libertarian donors outside Texas. He bills himself as ??The Taxpayers?? Best Friend,? and is routinely ranked either first or second in the House of Representatives by the National Taxpayers Union, a national group advocating low taxes and limited government.

He describes himself as a lifelong Libertarian running as a Republican.

Paul was not available for comment Thursday, Snyder said.

But some of Paul??s supporters were intrigued by his potential candidacy.

??I have an immense amount of respect for Ron Paul,? said Chris Peden, a Friendswood city councilman. ??Politics has a way of forcing people to go against their core principles for political gain. That has never been the case for Ron Paul.?

Even the chairman of the local Democratic Party welcomed Paul??s presidential bid, albeit with a tongue firmly in cheek.

??Well, it would give us a better shot at his congressional seat,? said Democratic Chairman Lloyd Criss. ??He has no chance of winning. People should run for what they believe, and I am glad he is running.

??I am thinking of running (district court judge) Susan Criss for president. She will have a better chance of winning than Paul.?

Judge Criss happens to be the Democratic Party chair??s daughter.

Paul easily won re-election last November. He enjoys broad Republican voter support, but not that of the party brass. That may prove a problem when it comes to collecting campaign dollars for a presidential bid.

That??s the reason for testing the waters, Snyder said. The campaign will test its ability to attract financial and political support before deciding whether to launch a full-fledged campaign.

Snyder said Paul is running to win, not just to make a point or to try to ensure that his issues are addressed.

Paul is expected to formally announce his bid in the next week or two, Snyder said.

Snyder said Paul and his supporters are not intimidated by the presence of nationally known and better-financed candidates, such as Sen. John McCain of Arizona or former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.

??This is going to be a grassroots American campaign,? he said. ??For us, it??s either going to happen at the grassroots level or it??s not.?

Paul limits his view of the role of the federal government to those duties laid out in the U.S. Constitution. As a result, he sometimes casts votes that appear at odds with his constituents and other Republicans. He was the only Republican congressman to vote against Department of Defense appropriations for fiscal year 2007.

The vote against the defense appropriations bill, he said, was because of his opposition to the war in Iraq, which he said was ??not necessary for our actual security.?

On Thursday, Paul released a scathing attack on President Bush??s recently announced new strategy for Iraq, hinting that it could possibly lead to an attack on Iran.

??The talk of a troop surge and jobs program in Iraq only distracts Americans from the very real possibility of an attack on Iran,? Paul said in a speech on the House floor Thursday. ??Our growing naval presence in the region and our harsh rhetoric toward Iran are unsettling.

??I am concerned, however, that a contrived Gulf of Tonkin-type incident may occur to gain popular support for an attack on Iran.?
pisshead Reviewed by pisshead on . Ron Paul considers run for president wow, a real republican for president, not some big government commie/fascist neo-con... he'd make a great president, one who actually understands the constitution...there's no way he'd win...and even if he did...he'd probaby get the kennedy treatment. http://news.galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=b714f4e5ebfeb3ad Ron Paul considers run for president From staff reports The Daily News Rating: 5