See Ron Run

By W. James Antle III
The American Spectator

By all accounts, Ron Paul was a reluctant presidential candidate. He was happy in the House, casting his lonely "no" votes against legislation with price tags large and small and contrasting his colleagues' handiwork with the plain text of the Constitution. But the Revolution overtook him: Paul attracted larger crowds than he had dreamed possible and, after raising $19.5 million in the last three months of 2007, won the fourth-quarter Republican money primary.

The purpose of Paul's longshot presidential bid was simple: Win as many delegates to the Republican National Convention as possible and spawn legions of new "Ron Paul Republicans." So Paul's supporters were startled -- and in some cases miffed -- when Paul announced he was scaling back his presidential campaign to focus on his March 4 congressional primary.

Sure, Paul had a disappointing showing in New Hampshire, where he had been expected to do well. Aside from a few caucus states, mostly in the Western part of the country, he was increasingly turning in single-digit performances as the field winnowed. But the crowds were still big and young; the money was still rolling in. Why not continue spreading the message and recruiting new Ron Paul Republicans?