Nader wants your tax rebate

That economic stimulus tax rebate burning a hole in your pocket? Don't want to buy a plasma screen TV or pay off credit card debt?

Ralph Nader has another choice: "Deposit half. Donate the other half to Nader/Gonzalez."

Nader's independent presidential campaign told supporters today it badly needs the cash to fund a petition drive to get on the November ballot in Illinois, the home state of Democratic front-runner Barack Obama.

"Help us climb this mountain," the appeal says. "It's not going to be easy to get Nader/Gonzalez on the ballot in Illinois. We need 50,000 signatures. We need to hand them by June 26, 2008. And the state Democratic machine is going do everything it can keep us off the ballot."

In 2000, when Nader won nearly 3 percent of the vote nationwide as the Green Party candidate, he won 2 percent in Illinois.

In 2004 when he also ran as an independent, Nader won less than 1 percent nationally and in Illinois.