Missouri candidate says he knows he can't win presidency

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. -- Presidential candidate Blake Ashby says he's running a protest campaign and has no chance of winning the White House.

In November, the Republican was more optimistic, when he said he never started anything with the intention of losing.

Ashby, 39, also previously alluded to millions he made as co-founder of an independent communications provider, which was later bought by a competitor.

Earlier this year, Ashby said he was prepared to spend whatever it took to spread his message that President George W. Bush did a poor job with the nation's finances and wrongly went to war against Iraq.

Ashby recently noted his campaign budget is $15,000.

He explained he hadn't been inaccurate in the past. "I was a millionaire on paper for a while," he said. He said the stock market's performance in recent years reduced his bottom line.

Ashby will appear on presidential primary ballots only in New Hampshire, where he took part in some candidate forums last week, and in Missouri. He is conducting write-in campaigns in a few other states.

Ashby said he will continue to communicate with other Republicans electronically about his problems with the Bush administration. "We're back to moderate expectations," he said.