As the presidential primaries wind down, only a few questions still remain unanswered. The obvious one the media constantly reports is whether Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama will be the Democratic Party's nominee. The Republican nominee will be John McCain.

The less obvious and under-reported questions are who the other challengers will be and why, during a war, did the candidate the troops support get very little media coverage.

According to Federal Elections Commission reports, the top three contributors to Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's campaign are from the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, respectively. No branch of the military appears among the "top contributors" to GOP frontrunner McCain's campaign or Clinton's or Obama's.

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Additionally, contributions to Ron Paul's campaign from our military personnel are greater than those of all other current candidates - McCain, Mike Huckabee, Clinton and Obama - combined. That's right: combined.
No matter how you measure it, Paul has the support of our nation's brave servicemen and women. Paul's message of a strong national defense, and only going to war with a declaration of war - as mandated by the Constitution - resonates with those who risk their lives to defend that Constitution.

Why was he mostly ignored by the media? Why was the fact our military supports his stance on foreign policy and the war in Iraq not even reported two days before Super Tuesday, when the latest FEC reports became available?

For details, visit www.opensecrets.org.

MARK BYRNE

Chairman

Libertarian Party

St. Clair and Sanilac counties

Port Huron, Feb. 14