Some in GOP fear fiery Barr as spoiler
A fiery former Republican representative from Georgia who gained national prominence for doggedly pursuing impeachment of Bill Clinton has some Republicans worried that he will play spoiler in a tight presidential contest.
Bob Barr's Libertarian Party bid for the White House is a long shot, but political analysts say he may be able to exploit the unease some diehard conservatives still feel about John McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting.
"Bob could be the Ralph Nader of 2008," said Dan Schnur, a GOP consultant in California who worked on McCain's 2000 campaign but is not involved in this year's contest. Consumer advocate Nader is the third-party candidate many Democrats blame for helping George W. Bush narrowly win in 2000.
The Libertarian Party hasn't cracked 1 percent of the national popular vote in a presidential race, but it is on the ballot in 30 states.
Barr scoffs at talk that he will play spoiler, saying it will only be because "his message and his vision did not resonate with a plurality of the voters."
Some Republicans say they aren't worried about Barr's candidacy. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said voting for Barr would be the same as voting for Barack Obama, and said he is confident most GOP voters will understand that. "No reasonable conservative is going to vote for anyone except McCain," he said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Yesterday, on NBC's "Meet the Press," he was somewhat less definite in his answer.
"When I was asked that question, I thought I was still going to be president," Biden said. "Now - number one, I am not interested in being vice president. I've let the candidate know. If the candidate asks me to be vice president, the answer is I got to say yes. But he's not going to ask me."
"If asked, I will do it," he continued. "I've made it clear I do not want to be asked."
So his answer would be yes?
"Of course it would," Biden said, "because if the presidential nominee thought I could help him win - am I going to say to the first African-American candidate about to make history in the world that, 'No, I will not help you out like you want me to'? Of course . . . I'll say yes."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"I think we'll get better national policy next year," Clinton told the US Conference of Mayors in Miami during a speech that centered on improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
It was the former president's first public appearance since his wife, Hillary Clinton, ended her presidential campaign June 7. The former first lady has endorsed Obama and is scheduled to campaign with him later this week.
But her husband has not publicly endorsed the presumptive Democratic nominee. Asked by journalists when he might do so, Clinton smiled and shook hands with spectators without acknowledging he heard the question.
Obama won heartier praise from Toronto Mayor David Miller, who said he was greatly impressed by the Illinois senator's speech to the mayors Saturday. "I wish a leader of one of Canada's federal parties would say the things he said," Miller declared.
REUTERS
