Posted on 01/11/2007 6:06:07 PM PST by Rodney King
Texas Congressman Ron Paul files for GOP presidential bid
HOUSTON -- Ron Paul, the iconoclastic nine-term congressman from southeast Texas, took the first step Thursday toward launching a second presidential bid in 2008, this time as a Republican.
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. This will be Paul's second try for the White House; he was the Libertarian nominee for president in 1988.
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 he 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 not running just to make a point or to try to ensure that his issues are addressed, but to win.
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."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not b
So the answer is yes?
I thought her thang is this war?
LOL! The answer is your guy Paul is a pathetic fool and a willing tool.
Your own words will suffice.
“The only reason we are jacking up the # of troops is so that the contractors can continue to cash in. Bush and many of his buddies are heavily invested in these private companies that are over there!”
Ouch!
These are your words. Some of those troops are going to die. So Bush and his buddies can make money? You and Ron Paul deserve each other.
Doesn't look like you have much comprehension of the Constitution either. Where was War declared? How does one surrender in a non-existent war?
Nothing wrong with differing opinions, but that stuff is just kook-speak.
LOL -- apparently so!
You still didn't answer the question. I'm not surprised you prefer Hillary to Paul. You Rino's always tell libertarians and conservatives that we are all friends when you want out votes, but really you prefer the Dems to us.
Well....not so fast, we're trying to instill a democracy in the M.E. (first of it's kind since Israel) with purple fingers and all. Meanwhile, the Saudis are funding the Sunis, and Iran backs the Shiites. And, there's a sH*tload of oil under it all. Did I mention the 'oil'?
Seems to me the fight is to determine which 'cameltarian' will control this valuable asset. That we might have made a friend in Iraq would look good next to my Chevy, 8.1 liter V-8.
The twenty thousand troops are insurance that we'll not be standing in gas rationing lines any time soon.('till we get started drilling Caribouville)
We ought not be too harsh on those willing to spend our nation's precious bounty-- as they are acting in our best interests in an attempt to secure for us a slice of the 'oil' pie (even if they take a bit for themselves).
Iran wants the whole pie and is willing to 'microwave' it for us, if need be. Sadly, we can't just negotiate with religious extremists any more than I can get into the 700 Club. "Rational beings need not apply".
The conclusion gets messier, so I'll just end it here.
Oh, he's in a liberal bastion that approves of surrendering. It's a shame there aren't any conservatives there...or liberals with some spine.
Looks like Tancredo, Paul and Hunter are next year's Buchanan, Keyes and Bauer. They are going to be slicing and dicing "true" conservative contributions and primary votes, if they stay in the race until the primaries begin.
It's just hilarious that election after election there are folks who are totally taken by what is essentially a con.
Bob Barr is running too. Decisions, decisions.
Don't count those guys out yet!
And that one issue is the main reason I can't support him for Prez -- cutting and running in Iraq would damage the U.S. immeasurably, and advocating a foreign policy that's strongly against pre-emptive action against terrorist-sponsoring states is very short-sighted.
We know Paul has taken the French Connection and Tancredo doesn't think we're going to win the war on terror...has Barr announced his position?
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