Manchester – Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul greeted people yesterday morning at the Red Arrow Diner, looking for undecided voters with just over a week to go before the first presidential primary.

Dressed in blue jeans and a wool sweater, Paul worked his way down the lunch counter introducing himself and shaking hands before settling in for some coffee and toast of his own.

►YouTube: Ron Paul released a new ad on Dec. 31

Outside the downtown landmark, about 30 or 35 supporters gathered holding signs and waiting for a word from the candidate along with an autograph and picture.

Many of the supporters were members of the Operation Live Free or Die group who have come from around the country to help the Paul campaign in the final days before the primary.

As Paul, who ran for president once before under the Libertarian Party banner, came out of the diner, the supporters cheered and chanted his name "Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul."

Among the crowd was Jim Dowding of Manchester, who came with his wife and daughter to see Paul and maybe have a chance to talk to him.

He said the family had now seen all but four of the presidential candidates and will whittle that list down in the future when they go to see Republican John McCain in the afternoon and Democrat Dennis Kucinich Monday evening. After that, the only major presidential candidates the Dowdings will not have seen, will be Democrats Joseph Biden and Chris Dodd.

On the Lowell Street sidewalk, Dowding asked Paul about education and cuts Congress made to money going back to local school districts.

Paul noted Republicans were elected saying they would trim or eliminate the federal education department, but have done just the opposite. "That makes me so disgusted," Paul said. "All they are doing is more meddling and more meddling."

Dowding asked Paul about the Contract with America that swept Republicans into control of Congress for the first time in a generation in 1994, and Paul said he was hoping for the same kind of movement behind his campaign to overhaul the system.

After he finished talking to Paul, Dowding said, "People have to realize -- a lot of promises are being made -- a lot of promises beyond the scope of their power."

He noted the candidates are really talking about changes in policy that are three or four years down the road.

"Issues are important to me," Dowding said. He said those issues include energy independence and creating jobs, "not just for today, but jobs for the future."

Was he impressed with Paul? He said many candidates spend more time talking to the media than real people, but added he is still assessing the candidates.

Vijay Boyapati was not still assessing the candidates, he is supporting Paul. Boyapati is the organizer of Operation Live Free or Die, which proposes to bring 1,000 of Paul's biggest supporters to the Granite State to work for "his message of freedom, peace and prosperity."

Boyapati, a naturalized United States citizen originally from Australia, heard Paul speak at Google headquarters earlier this year and wrote him a check for $2,300, the most an individual can give under federal campaign finance laws.

Boyapati, soon left his Google job in Seattle and headed to New Hampshire to help Paul and set up a network capable of taking care of the 1,000 people he expects to be here soon.

This is also the first American political election for Boyapati. "This is great that for my first election I can work for someone I really care about," he said.