Ron Paul reaffirms GOP candidacy and vows to continue his fight for freedom!

February 25, 2008 - The 72-year-old, 10-term Republican congressman has just vowed to continue his current campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. There's been some confusion in recent days since Paul sounded like he was, in effect, withdrawing to refocus his political efforts on a well-funded House primary challenger in his home Texas district near Houston on March 4.

His vocal online supporters have been less evident, effusive and at times abusive in the last couple of weeks. But now they have reason to refocus themselves too.

But Wednesday he struck a different note. "I will stay in as long as my supporters want me to," the Texas congressman promised CNN. "And I say as long as the number of volunteers continues to grow, and the money comes in, and there are primaries out there, and they want me to be involved, I am going to stay involved."

And if, say, there's a scandal or illness among the two remaining Republican candidates ahead of Paul in delegates, he'll be in a pretty good political position for the convention in St. Paul.

Also, guess what The Times' campaign finance guru Dan Morain just discovered....

tonight in records of the Federal Election Commission? Of all the Republican candidates left in the field at the end of January none other than Ron Paul had the most cash in hand -- some $6 million. And, like a true conservative, Paul reported not a penny in debt.

So he's got the money to keep his campaign going, despite being at loggerheads on many issues with fellow GOP candidates. And more funds flowing in each day from his loyal followers, despite being largely ignored by the major media, being barred by unfair and unbalanced Fox News from a candidates debate, and receiving short shrift in speaking time there.

Paul, a former OB-GYN who recently drew a crowd of 1,400 at North Texas University, said he was overwhelmed by possible congressional candidates who could form a bloc of strict constitutionalists in Congress and carry the movement on beyond the unsuccessful 2008 nomination struggle. But although he refuses to endorse McCain, Paul also continues to reject the possibility of a third-party run.

Paul said students he talked with "hear other candidates talking change and they know it's the same old stuff over and over again. There's no difference with the other candidates. They know it's going to take time. But as I travel, I find something very significant going on around the country. They know we need to turn this country around."

"I couldn't stop this movement if I tried," he added.