Bob Barr and the Ralph Nader factor

[stevedeshazer]

Is it possible that Bob Barr could swing the general election to Obama?

Pundits debate whether Barr is an alternative or a distraction

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/news/stories/2008/05/14/barr_0515.html

Bob Barr rejects the label of spoiler in the 2008 presidential race, but the former Georgia congressman is likely to find that's the label that has the best chance of sticking to his nascent Libertarian bid for the White House.

The former Republican congressman from Georgia gave a spirited launch to his campaign this week in Washington and hopes to land the Libertarian Party mantle at the party's national convention in Denver next weekend.

But for Republicans in Georgia and around the country, the prospect of a Barr candidacy is being met with dread, because of what his bid could mean for the presumptive GOP nominee, and a healthy amount of derision for the sheer audacity of it.

DeKalb County Republican Party chairman Jamie Sibold is a good example of the mixed feelings Barr's campaign creates.

"I would be lying to say, 'No, he doesn't give me any pause,'" Sibold said.

But, Sibold said, he's not overly concerned. Once Barr left Congress in 2003, his media spotlight went away, Sibold said.

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Whoa.