DURHAM, N.H.—The large, enthusiastic crowd that greeted Texas Rep. Ron Paul at the University of New Hampshire on Thursday was perhaps not what he wanted to see as he mulls whether to run for president again.

"I think subconsciously I'm always waiting to see a very small crowd, and then I can say, `OK, I've done my duty, nobody wants to hear," he told reporters after his speech.

But that wasn't the case. About 800 people showed up to see him speak, cheering and applauding his call to abolish the Federal Reserve and his criticism of the recent U.S. military action in Libya.

"We've been taught if you say anything about (foreign) policy, that means you're un-American, you're not supporting the troops, you're not a patriotic person. Well, I think being patriotic is challenging your government when it's wrong," he said.

He said the uprising in Libya and elsewhere represents more than just people getting fed up with dictators.

"I think what they're sensing is that we may be a financial paper tiger, maybe even militarily," he said. "Yes, in a conventional war, we have more weapons and we spend more money than anyone else put together ... but I think people are thinking, `There are limits to what the United States can do. How many more troops can they call up?'"

Earlier Thursday, Paul's son, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told reporters that there is a better than 50-50 chance that one of them will run for president. Asked about his son's plans, Ron Paul said, "I have no idea. We've had no discussion on the issue."

Paul said he is "not on the verge" of making up his mind.

"It has to do with how receptive my message will be. Last time, I didn't wait for that. I just thought I had to speak out," he said.

If the economy improves, he said his enthusiasm for running would lessen. But if the economy worsens, as he expects, "It makes it almost inevitable that somebody will have to start talking about what we need to do."

Paul finished fifth in the 2008 New Hampshire primary with less than 8 percent of the vote. In January, he came in second place in a New Hampshire GOP straw poll, with 11 percent.

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