Bob Barr

How long has this campaign dragged on? It will be two years old in November, and there's no reason to believe it will stop then.

At this point, it's incredible to consider that some people haven't made up their minds. It's incredible that Hillary is still drunkenly running for president of Earth, that Smooth Barry Obama has won the nomination but has to continue campaigning for it, that a senile old fraud like John McCain is the nominee of any major party, that delusional attention whore Ralph Nader is running again, that an anti-libertarian hack like Bob Barr is the libertarian nominee, and that the libertarian candidate (Ron Paul) is sitting out the race despite amassing a fortune in campaign contributions and a delirious following.

But what's most incredible, to me, as a person who writes about this garbage for a living, is that it doesn't matter at all what I write about, because the comments will be an insane half-literate string of racist nonsense and startling ignorance that has nothing to do with the subject of this post.

Former Georgia Congressman (1995-2003), Bob Barr, has won the Libertarian Party nomination as candidate for president. The party convention, held this week in Denver, nominated Barr on the 6th ballot, defeating Mary Ruwart - a research scientist.

Barr, probably best known for his role in the Bill Clinton impeachment trial, left the Republican Party in 2006 and shortly thereafter set up an exploratory commission for the 2008 presidential campaign.

Barr, long a favorite of some conservatives, leads some to think he might pull some votes from John McCain in November. However, since leaving Congress in '03 his personal platform has a decidedly leftist feel. Historically opposed to Bush administration thought on Iraq, Iran and the Patriot Act, Barr has recently joined the ACLU. As a Republican, he too was seen as a maverick, while at the same time his past record of social conservatism seems at odds with traditional Libertarians.

Barr's nomination brings some much needed attention to this alternative party - perhaps in part why he got the nod over more traditional and long-standing Libertarian Party members. On again-off again Libertarian Ron Paul is perhaps the best known of past party members with former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel as it's newest. Gravel fell out of contention after the 4th ballot.

Former Republican Representative from Georgia, Bob Barr, officially announced his run for president today. Barr will first have to secure the Libertarian Party's nomination. If Barr does get on the ballot in November, he is perceived as a potential drain on John McCain's support among reluctant conservatives.

Barr helped lead the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton. He has since broke with the Republican party over a variety of issues, including the Patriot Act and the invasion and occupation of Iraq, which Barr fervently opposes. He has consistently railed against the politics of fear, a theme he hit on again in his statement today, "We believe in an America that is not and should not be and should never be driven by fear as current policies on behalf of both parties are in this country," Barr said.

Barr believes his campaign has the potential to pick up where Ron Paul's primary campaign left off. In March, he told The Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Ron Paul tapped into a great deal of that dissatisfaction and that awareness. Unfortunately, working through the Republican party structure, it became impossible for him to really move forward with his movement. But we have to have a rallying point out there to harness that energy, that freedom in this election cycle."