And what an unusual campaign it is.

"It's almost like it's on autopilot, certainly the fund-raising part," the 72-year-old Texas congressman said yesterday, speaking of an effort fueled largely by the Internet.

"It sort of feeds on itself. . . . I'm both pleased and surprised."

Consider that the big money push was the idea of a single supporter, working on his own, who thought that Nov. 5, the anniversary of Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up the king of England in 1605, would be a fine day for a "fund-raising bomb."

So this fellow, a musician, set up his own Web site - the Internet is a huge part of the Ron Paul story - and the whole thing just took off.

The story behind the local rally, set for 1 p.m. at Independence Mall, is similar.

In August, the Paul campaign ran a national fund-raising competition among its local support groups. These groups, which form online, are called "meetups." First prize was a visit from the candidate.

When the Philadelphia meetup won, campaign officials figured that if they had to come, they might as well make the most of it.

The result is a Veterans Day weekend gathering near where the Constitution was written, perfect for a former Air Force flight surgeon who says that all of his political principles stem directly from the nation's founding document.

No one seems to know exactly what to make of a Republican candidate who doesn't show up in the national polls, raises a lot of money, and wants to bring the troops home from Iraq immediately.

No one except for Paul's core of dedicated supporters, many of whom are young and/or disaffected.

'He doesn't flip-flop'

Said Fred Immendorfer, 51, of Haddon Township: "His appeal ranges from borderline anarchists to World War II veterans who love this country. He doesn't flip-flop."

Born in Pittsburgh and educated at Gettysburg College, Paul is a 10-term congressman (and physician) who represents a district south of Houston.

He ran as the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate in 1988, and his views are often described as libertarian. But he has always been a Republican, advocating limited government and a non-interventionist foreign policy.

Citing the Constitution as his guide, Paul opposes the income tax, abortion, gun control, the Patriot Act, and ceding U.S. sovereignty to international organizations.

He would like to return the dollar to the gold standard while killing off the Federal Reserve Bank and IRS, plus the Departments of Energy, Education and Homeland Security.

But it is his call to bring the troops home that is attracting supporters and donors. "He's the only man who truly wants us out of the empire business," said Jay Parker, 51, a Fishtown carpenter.

"Iraq is the draw," Paul says. ". . . And Giuliani is due a lot of thanks for helping me along by attacking me and ridiculing me in the debates. I think I'm closer to the truth than he is."