Why is Ron Paul still running?

Throughout this campaign the MSM (main stream media) have paid much attention to the Democratic primaries but have only paid lip service to the GOP primaries (and then only when they had to).

I could not have predicted the way this thing was going to go. And the only thing about this whole mess that I would have felt comfortable predicting a year ago has not happened. I agree with a lot that Ron Paul says but I have never felt that the Republican party would get behind a candidate that was so openly advocating a "cut and run" approach to Iraq. Honestly, I was surprised that Fred Thompson dropped out before Ron Paul. I have continued to be surprised that "major" candidates have dropped out (Guiliani and the suspension of Romney's campaign, etc.) while Ron Paul has stuck it out.

More than once I have thought "what is this guy doing?". Well, it turns out that Senator Paul issued a statement that answered my question. I found the statement today (Feb 9) on a site listing candidate contribution information. From thegreenpapers.com : (emphasis mine)

[Senator Paul] Announced he was scaling down campaign on 8 February 2008. "With Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero. But that does not affect my determination to fight on, in every caucus and primary remaining, and at the convention for our ideas, with just as many delegates as I can get. But with so many primaries and caucuses now over, we do not now need so big a national campaign staff, and so I am making it leaner and tighter. Of course, I am committed to fighting for our ideas within the Republican party, so there will be no 3rd party run. I do not denigrate third parties—just the opposite, and I have long worked to remove the ballot-access restrictions on them. But I am a Republican, and I will remain a Republican. I also have another priority. I have constituents in my home district that I must serve. I cannot and will not let them down. And I have another battle I must face here as well. If I were to lose the primary for my congressional seat, all our opponents would react with glee, and pretend it was a rejection of our ideas. I cannot and will not let that happen."

As of today (February 9) Senator Paul has 14 delegates. I don't know what (if any) pull that will give him at the convention but I respect that he is standing by his ideology. I wish Senator Paul continued success in his political career.