Republicans Worry Barr Will Play Spoiler In A Tight Presidential Contest

A fiery former GOP congressman who gained national prominence for doggedly pursuing impeachment of President Bill Clinton has some Republicans worried he'll play spoiler in a tight presidential contest. Bob Barr's Libertarian Party bid for the White House is the longest of long shots, but political experts said he may be able to exploit the unease some die-hard conservatives still feel about Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting. Combined with the surge in turnout among Democrats during the primaries and a difficult political climate for Republicans, they see what could be a recipe for trouble for the GOP. Dan Schnur, a GOP consultant in California who worked on McCain's 2000 campaign but is not involved in this year's contest, said Barr could be "the Ralph Nader of 2008."Consumer advocate Nader is the third-party candidate many Democrats blame for helping George W. Bush narrowly win in 2000. Barr, a former federal prosecutor, was swept into Congress with more than 70 other House GOP freshmen in 1994. An articulate, sometimes outspoken orator, he gained attention as the first lawmaker to call for Clinton's resignation over the Monica Lewinsky scandal and was one of the House prosecutors who pressed the impeachment case in the Senate. Some Republicans aren't worried about Barr's candidacy. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said voting for Barr is the same as voting for Democrat Barack Obama, and said he's confident most GOP voters will understand that. Barr scoffs at talk that he will play spoiler, saying he is in the race to win it and it won't be his fault if McCain loses. Barr said in an interview: "If Senator McCain is not successful, it will be because his message and his vision did not resonate with a plurality of the voters."