Even before the indictment of US Senator Ted Stevens, the Alaska Independent Party’s candidate Bob Bird was making a strong showing (see the poll on the lower right). Now The Wanderer has endorsed him as “pro-life, pro-Constitution, pro-peace, and pro-Alaska.” “I’m the Ron Paul candidate,” adds Bird.

On the Ron Paul threat to McCain in the West, the Boston Globe says: “Libertarian candidate Bob Barr has emerged as a favorite alternative for Paul activists, followed by Constitutional Party candidate Chuck Baldwin.”

The latest CNN/Opinion Research Poll has Nader at 6% and Barr at 3%. After the “desperate fundraising” letter, the Barr campaign reports it’s not broke, just ambitious.