and while he has overseen a draw-down in iraq and syria, the tensions in the middle east keep drawing him back in. since may, 14,000 u.s. troops have been deployed to the gulf region, but the president is always mindful of re-election, and he knows that any increase , esonflicts, especially in the middle east, could cost him votes. brennan: paula reid in west palm beach, thank you. well, former housing secretary eulian castro dropped out of the democratic presidential primary today. his departure means half of those who launched campaigns are ou out. as for the 14 democrats still in the fight, some are raising a lot of money. here s ed o keefe. reporter: julian castro launched his presidential bid just under a year ago, banking that his experience as a big- city mayor, cabinet secretary, and the only latino in the race, would catch on. it never did. given the circumstances of this campaign season, i have determined that it simply isn t our time.