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Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), the anti-Iraq war candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and darling of the Internet, said his colleagues have taken notice that he has raised more money from active service members than any other GOP White House hopeful. “Lots of military people turned out to be aware that our campaign got more donations from soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines than any other,” said Paul in a statement on his website. “Funny, that made a big impression in Congress too. Many of my colleagues were amazed and encouraged that you can be against this unconstitutional and disastrous war, and get military support.” While campaign spokesman Jesse Benton did not name names, he said that “two southern Republicans” recently approached Paul. They noted that his success in getting money from members of the active military is “turning some heads.” Paul said it is “an outrage that we are accused of not supporting the troops” and called it a “scam when the warmongers claim to be pro-soldier.” Despite his popularity on the Internet and a surprisingly strong second quarter fund-raising effort, which saw his campaign haul in $2.4 million, Paul is universally considered as a long shot candidate for the nomination. However, he told supporters that he is “cautiously optimistic” about next week’s Iowa straw poll. Paul also noted that he has received some good press about being frugal with his campaign contributions. “I treat every donation with care, since it comes from a good American who shares our hope for the future, and who had to work hard to earn that money,” Paul said. Benton added that the prudence in spending is a sign of what is to come. “The way he runs his campaign is a microcosm of how he would run the country,” said Benton of his boss. He added that Paul would spend money where it needs to be spent but would otherwise be careful not to waste a penny. |
