Ron Paul was an accidental congressman, the long-time Texas conservative and current GOP presidential hopeful said Wednesday, making his decision to retire from Congress "not too difficult."

"I don’t think I was cut out to be in politics. I sort of won by accident," Paul, 75, told the Fox Business Network in an interview scheduled to air Wednesday night. "When I was here for four terms early on, I was anxious to go home and go back to medicine. I have been pushing hard to hang around and do my best."

Paul said that his descion to not seek reelection to Congress while simultaneously taking his third stab at president was rooted in his experience in 2008 when he lost the GOP nomination to Sen. John McCain.

"I did that four years ago and I think it deserved some criticism. I think you should only run for one thing. One way or another, I am not going to stay in the House of Representatives,” Paul said.

Paul has performed well in GOP straw polls, highly unscientific applause measurments, and some online polls, but has found himself in the middle of the pack in most polling. Recently, he garnered only 6% support in the Des Moines Register poll, far behind Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann. Those results have not persuaded him to consider running as an independent.

“You would think the laws should permit you to do that but some have indicated to me that is not necessarily so. Some states preclude it; if you sign on and become a Republican candidate, then the law says you can’t become an independent," Paul explained.

"I have not really looked into that because I have not been thinking along those lines, but I think it would be a shame if you couldn’t do that. I have complained a whole lot about our system in this country. The democratic process here has a lot of shortcomings,” Paul said.

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-- Tony Pierce
twitter.com/busblog

Photo: Republican presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) greets Aaron Goodro and his son Ian during a campaign stop in Portsmouth, N.H.. Credit: Jim Cole / Associated Press

I strongly condemn the outrageous attacks in Mumbai, and my thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and those who have lost loved ones.

The U.S. government continues to monitor the situation, including the safety and security of our citizens. India is a close friend and partner of the United States.

The American people will stand with the Indian people in times of trial, and we will offer support to India’s efforts to bring the perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice.

During my trip to Mumbai, I saw firsthand the strength and resilience of the Indian people, and I have no doubt that India will overcome these deplorable terrorist attacks.    ####

I want to extend my congratulations to Congresswoman-elect Janice Hahn for her victory in California’s 36th Congressional District.

Janice and I both believe that in order to win the future, we need to create jobs and grow our economy and pursue a balanced approach to deficit reduction. 

In Congress, Janice will continue to fight for the people of the South Bay and add another chapter to her family’s long history of dedicated service to the people of California. I look forward to working with her.    ####

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Photos: Aid workers rush to Mumbai explosion scenes Credit: Zee TV; Janice Hahn Credit: Reed Saxon / Associated Press

Minnesotans will have to head to the Rockies to get Coors Light if something isn't done about their state's government shutdown that may soon lead to scores of beers being pulled from store shelves.

MillerCoors, the maker of Miller High Life and 38 other beers, found itself caught in typical government red tape when it was informed that it had overpaid a state-mandated registration. Minnesota makes brewers register every three years for each product that they sell in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The cost is only $30 per brand, a drop in the bucket to such a brewer, which might be why it accidentally overpaid.

By the time the state notified MillerCoors of the error, and the company had resubmitted the registration and signed a new check with the proper amount, Minnesota's government had been shut. The state employees who could have approved the registrations were at home, possibly drinking beer, as they had been laid off since the state could not legally pay them.

Minnesota, however, did not lay off alcohol enforcement officials who have instructed MillerCoors to devise a plan to get their cases of Coors, Blue Moon and other brands off the shelves in supermarkets and liquor stores.

South California, the proposed 51st state to the union, a long-shot concept that would see 13 California counties secede from the Golden State, was unanimously approved by the Riverside County Board of Directors Tuesday for more discussion and debate.

The board approved fellow member Jeff Stone's call for a meeting. The board voted 4-0 under the caveat that no Riverside County staff or funds be used for the meeting, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Even though most parties involved do not believe that a 51st state will actually blossom from the summit, most applaud Stone's success in bringing to light his concerns with Sacramento politics and how it affects Riverside and counties like it.

"Although this proposal isn't going to happen, he has drawn attention to the real problem, which is his underlying purpose anyway," Jack Pitney, government professor at Claremont McKenna College told the Bulletin.

The next meeting is planned for the fall at which officials from around Southern California will discuss their issues with current state politics in a summit. Stone has asked that the 51st state proposal remain as an option if no other solutions could be reached.

South California would encompass Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Tulare counties, which have a combined population totaling approximately 13 million people.

The proposed 51st state would be the fifth largest by population, more populous than Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. South California would take nearly a third of the population away from California, making the Golden State the second-largest state after Texas.

Eleven of the 13 counties in proposed South California traditionally vote Republican, a fact noticed by California Gov. Jerry Brown's office last week.

"If you want to live in a Republican state with very conservative right-wing laws, then there's a place called Arizona," Brown spokesman Gil Duran said.

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-- Tony Pierce
Twitter.com/busblog

Image: Map of the proposed 51st state, South California. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Obviously, Sarah Palin can't possibly run for president in 2012.

She's waited too long. Her ballyhooed 'One Nation' bus tour has virtually vanished. Have you noticed any lines to see the movie about her, "The Undefeated"? And that admiring film got panned by some people you never heard of.

Palin's not built any discernible grassroots organizations in early voting places like Iowa and New Hampshire, as traditional candidates do. And it looks like she's not going to pour a couple of million dollars into the meaningless Ames Straw Poll that will be so important for a week or so next month.

Quitting her elected job barely halfway through the first term turned Palin into a national nobody. She's missed a couple of Republican debates already.

Another tea party favorite Michele Bachmann has surged to the front in the first caucus state's early polls. The national media's gaffe detector is on full power for Bachmann and Palin, both mothers of five. And anyway, a large number of American voters say they wouldn't vote for Palin if she was a former governor with one national campaign under her belt.

But there's a couple of little-noticed problems with any facile dismissal of Palin's possible 2012 candidacy: Media derision only feeds those who don't like her already.

It actually strengthens Palin with a wide swath of overlooked Americans who don't trust mainstream institutions but do identify with the mother of five.

Why do you think Palin keeps shooting back at the media and even starting fights when things get quiet? Any media attention is better than none. Ask Rick Santorum.

Also, American voters don't matter for beans right now. American Republican voters do.

And according to a brand-new Gallup Poll just out, these folks put Palin in a pretty doggone good position for a run. Which, of course, she clearly can't do.

Gallup finds Palin has 95% name recognition, the highest of any candidate being tracked and a coveted commodity that Santorum would pay millions for if he had them, which he doesn't.

Palin's Strongly Favorable Rating of 25% is the highest of any GOP candidate tested. But, of course, she's not a candidate. Her Strongly Unfavorable is 9%. With rounding, that gives her a Positive Intensity Score of 15.

Among top tier candidates who've been campaigning, Bachman's Positive Inrtensity Score is only three points ahead of Palin at 18. Mitt Romney, who's been effectively campaigning for more than four years now, has the same 15 as Palin. Tim Pawlenty's is 11. Ron Paul's is 9. Jon Huntsman 4.

Not included yet were former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, both of whom are making preparatory noises but have yet to announce anything.

In a recent Newsweek cover story Palin was quoted as saying she believes she could win a national campaign. But what does she know? She was just a former mayor who thought she could beat an incumbent Republican governor in Alaska who was part of a powerful, entrenched decades-old GOP machine. And look what happened there.

So obviously Sarah Palin can't possibly run for president in 2012.

Unless she does.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photos: Brian Snyder / Reuters (Palin during her non-campaign campaign swing through New Hampshire last month).

He may have been leading from behind all spring in those nettlesome national debt reduction talks with congressional Republicans.

Unemployment may be back up to 9.2%. But President Obama is doing great up front where it counts in the political fundraising business to keep his own job in next year's election.

In a video emailed to supporters early this morning, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said the Democrat's bid for four more years in the Oval Office would report raising more than $47 million for the old Organizing for America outfit. And another $38 million-plus for the Democratic National Committee. All from 552,462 donors, Messina said.

All campaigns' fundraising numbers for the April-June quarter are due into the Federal Election Commission on Friday, unless they get an exemption for starting late, as Jon Huntsman did.

Obama's campaign donation total is chump change compared to the trillions in budget cuts he claims to be negotiating with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The reported $86 million dwarfs the anticipated quarter totals of his Republican challengers such as former Govs. Mitt Romney at $18 million and Tim Pawlenty and Huntsman around $4 million each.

Not counting Michele Bachmann, who has been a top congressional fundraiser but not yet announced her haul, the Republican field combined has raised around $35 million. An independent committee supporting Romney has collected another $12 million.

Messina claims that the Democrat needs a whole lot more money to compete with what he said could be "as much as" $500 million from outside committees supporting Republicans.

Originally, Obama campaign aides talked of a $1 billion campaign on behalf of their boss. But they have since scaled that back closer to the $745 million he raised for the 2008 campaign, which he won, in case you hadn't noticed.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Pete Souza / White House

After weeks of fruitless negotiations on Republican ideas to cut federal spending and raise the legal debt ceiling, House Speaker John A. Boehner tonight called on President Obama to offer his plan.

Boehner told Bret Baier on Fox News Channel:

I think it is time for the president to put his plan on the table. Let the American people see just what the president is proposing. You can’t go out there and talk about some $4-trillion agreement to substantially change the fiscal situation here in Washington without any facts.

As both sides sought to insulate themselves politically by posturing through the media, the president appeared to raise the stakes of the debt deal talks by telling CBS News that he really couldn't guarantee that those important Social Security, veterans and other entitlement checks would go out after Aug. 2 if there's no agreement with those stubborn Republicans, who won't give ground on no tax increases.

Obama said: "I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on Aug. 3 if we haven’t resolved this issue because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it." (Note the wiggle word "may.")

Asked if he believed the president's check-withholding threat, Boehner said:

I don’t know what to believe. The Treasury secretary is going to have options in terms of who should be paid and who shouldn’t. Yes, there are some debts that have to be rolled over, but there is going to be money available on Aug. 3.

Boehner gave no indication of progress in today's round of talks with the White House. He added:

The big issue for today was Mr. Cantor and I, the majority leader of the House, really pressed the president for ‘Where is his plan?’ We have talked about a lot of possibilities. He and I had conversations for a couple weeks, but we have never really seen the whole plan and what they are really willing to do.

One of the problems we got into late last week, and it culminated on Saturday when I finally decided that working with them privately wasn’t working, is that they had some ideas but they never quite put them on paper.

They talk about making substantive reforms in the entitlement programs but never could quite get there. That and they were continuing to insist on us raising taxes.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Screen grab from Fox News, July 12.

Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner and his pregnant wife, Huma, celebrated their first anniversary in Miami recently, not with paper but fancy food.

The couple "looked very much in love as they dined with friends at Miami's celebrity hot spot Prime 112 steakhouse on Saturday night," the New York Post reported Monday.

Huma, an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, "was sporting her baby bump and looked very happy," according to the Miami Herald, which said the Weiners took a post-dinner stroll down Ocean Drive.

Redistricting is forcing New York to lose two seats in the House. Latino leaders are recommending that Weiner's 9th Congressional District be absorbed by neighboring ones.

"Weiner's departure presents probably the best opportunity to not only shore up the Latino and African American representation, but to do so with the least disruption," Juan Cartagena, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, told the Associated Press.

"Eliminating Weiner's district would allow us to mitigate the effect of demographic change and gentrification," Cartagena told AP via email.

Before anything happens, however, there will be a special election on Sept. 13 to replace Weiner. Republicans are looking at Bob Turner, who garnered 40% of the vote in his defeat to Weiner in 2011, while Democrats are rallying behind Assemblyman David Weprin.

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-- Tony Pierce
twitter.com/busblog

Photo: Huma and Anthony Weiner in Miami. Photo: Joe Marino / MCT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Chaplain Rutherford.  Please be seated.  Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the White House as we present our nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, to an extraordinary American soldier —- Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry.

This is a historic occasion.  Last fall, I was privileged to present the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta for his heroism in Afghanistan, and Sal joins us this afternoon. Where's Sal?  Good to see you.  

So today is only the second time during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq —- indeed, only the second time since Vietnam —- that a recipient of the Medal of Honor from an ongoing conflict has been able to accept this medal in person.  And having just spent some time with Leroy, his lovely wife Ashley, their wonderful children, in the Oval Office, then had a chance to see the entire Petry family here -- I have to say this could not be happening to a nicer guy or a more inspiring family. 

Leroy, the Medal of Honor reflects the deepest gratitude of our entire nation.  So we’re....

Debt ceiling:

Urging others to avoid opportunistic political scare tactics in the stalemated debate over raising the debt limit or shutting down the government, President Obama warned Tuesday that, by golly, as the nation's chief executive he just couldn't guarantee now that those Social Security and Veteran's Administration entitlement checks would be going out as scheduled in early August if they don't get a deal.

It's that bad.

And on Tuesday afternoon comes a new Gallup Poll with what appears to be voters' reaction: OK, if you don't cut spending big time.

The new Gallup survey finds 42% of Americans are just fine with not raising the debt ceiling.

That's nearly twice the 22% who want their member of Congress to vote in favor of approving the debt-ceiling increase from $14.3 trillion to something even more unimaginable.

In the 903 days since Obama took office, the national debt has risen about $4 trillion, a pretty good spending clip even for Chicago pols. Of course, it's all due to what's-his-name from Texas.

And since spending $787 billion for economic stimulus didn't get the country's unemployment rate down (it just went back up to 9.2%), maybe some more spending will.

Obama clearly thinks he's got the conservative House Republicans over a political barrel, since they being Republicans want budget cuts and no new taxes and the Democrat being the Democrat would prefer the opposite.

The fight in the next two weeks leading up to the arbitrary deadline may be over the 35% of Americans Gallup finds are unsure about raising the legal authority of the federal government to spend even more money that it doesn't have.

Republicans are most unified over opposing the increase: 60% No, 11% Yes, 29% Unsure.

Independent voters, a crucial part of Obama's victory coalition in 2008, are almost equally opposed to the increase now: 46% No, 18% Yes, 36% Unsure.

Even Democrats seem a tad uncertain, if you can believe that: 21% No, 39% Yes, 40% Unsure.

Asked another way, Americans are even more opposed to the debt-ceiling increase.

Gallup asked which concerns you more, raising the debt limit without planning major spending cuts or encountering a major economic crisis if you don't.

Perhaps noting that Minnesota has not exploded after a two-week government shutdown, the country comes down on the side of more concern for not cutting federal spending (51%) to Tim Geithner's threatened economic crisis (32%).

In the 2007-08 campaigns, then-candidate Obama promised to bring bipartisanship. Well, now he's got it.

Voters are thinking in a bipartisan fashion over Obama's spending and shutdown threats: Democrats (45%), Independents (52%) and Republicans (57%) all agree that not having spending cuts is worse than any hypothetical economic problems later. Seeing as how we've had economic problems for a few years now and Air Force One still seems capable of plenty of flying.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo illustration: Andrew Malcolm