by Denis Campbell

Remember when Democrats worried about Ralph Nader’s presence on the ballot hurting Obama like he did to John Kerry and Al Gore? Now he and Libertarian Bob Barr are the nearly invisible third party candidates. Or are they? Third parties rarely get much support, but in tight elections, the 3% - 19% (the Ross Perot high water mark in ‘92) garnered could be the difference between winning and losing for a national candidate.

Bob Barr has been particularly critical of McCain of late and while Sarah Palin has fired up the Conservative base, he could be a real spoiler for McCain while Nader, the former consumer advocate who is critical of both candidates, is a non-factor this year. Barr still floats stealthily under the radar as the only true Conservative running in this race and as McCain’s wounds grow deeper, could reap a very large protest vote.

Barr, a former tough talking Congressman from Georgia’s 7th district said this about McCain’s campaign… “McCain is spending the last 2 weeks on a “Farewell Tour” of America. Republican reluctant to vote for McCain should send a message to big government with a vote for the Libertarian. 

“Republican-leaning voters who are reluctant to vote for John McCain and his big government record,” Barr writes, “it is clear that McCain no longer has any realistic chance to win the election.” So why not cast a vote for me he seems to be asking?

Barr accuses McCain of not appealing to fiscal conservatives and he’s critical of McCain’s support for the massive financial rescue package. That move he writes “tore the wheels right off the so-called ‘Straight Talk Express’ bus!”

So which message will win as the McCain campaign spins out of control? Don’t be surprised if Barr picks up 2-3 percentage points more than the polls have him with now in protest votes from those who cannot pull the lever for either Obama or McCain…