Barr's Run Has Many in GOP Worried

Bob Barr’s former GOP colleagues have been beseeching the Libertarian Party presidential nominee not to run against John McCain. “Please don’t do it,” Barr happily recounts being told. They fear he could do to McCain what Nader did to Gore in states such as Georgia, Alaska, and Colorado, the New York Times reports. But those prospects are anything but certain.

He's short on money, resources, and name recognition. Barr conceded that some view him as a “Johnny-come-lately.” Others view him suspiciously: Libertarians are wary of the former Georgia congressman because he voted for the Patriot Act and authorization for the Iraq war. But Obama’s campaign manager predicted Barr would win support, with “most of it coming out of McCain’s hide.” (More Bob Barr stories.)