Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, aided by an extraordinary outpouring of Internet support Monday, hauled in more than $3.5 million in 20 hours. Paul, the Texas congressman with a Libertarian tilt and an out-of-Iraq pitch, entered heady fundraising territory with a surge of Web-based giving tied to the commemoration of Guy Fawkes Day. Fawkes was a British mercenary who failed in his attempt to kill King James I on Nov. 5, 1605. He also was the model for the protagonist in the movie "V for Vendetta." Paul backers motivated donors on the Internet with mashed-up clips of...

An agonizing choice Conservatives have plenty of cause to abandon Bush BY BOB BARR Voting for president used to be so easy, at least for a conservative. There was the Republican candidate. You knew he generally stood for lower taxes, less government spending, giving fewer powers to the government, lower deficits and a zealous regard for individual privacy. Then, there was the Democrat. You knew he generally stood for higher taxes, more government and deficit spending, and a zealous regard for civil liberties. Throughout my own presidential voting history, the choices have rarely, if ever, been agonizing. Nixon vs. McGovern?...

The vice presidential candidates' debate tonight between Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and Democrat Sen. John Edwards, touted by the mass media as a possible pivot point in the presidential election, is missing a vital component -- four other candidates for the same office. Because several candidates were excluded from the "official" debate, there will actually be two debates between vice presidential candidates tonight in Cleveland, Ohio. Libertarian Richard Campagna, Pat LaMarche of the Green Party, Ralph Nader's independent running mate Peter Camejo, and Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party all plan to take part in a debate for "third...

On October 5th, for purposes of a local TV program I host, I'll have the opportunity to conduct a one-hour, one-on-one interview with Michael Badnarik, Libertarian Party presidential candidate, who is said to be polling as much as 3% and who could conceivably impact the race in a number of states. I'd be interested to hear from my fellow FReepers. What do you know about Badnarik? What questions would you want to see asked? Your thoughts?