The Barr Conundrum

John Nichols, the progressive interested in libertarianism, writes: “The [Libertarian] party’s embrace of Barr did not come easily. At the Libertarian convention in Denver, it took six ballots to settle the nomination. Even then, the convention choice did not settle whether Barr would campaign as a conservative Republican running as a Libertarian, or a real Libertarian.

“How Barr resolves this quandary will determine whether the Libertarian nominee poses any threat to McCain. If Barr presents himself as a conservative Republican with Libertarian highlights, he won’t matter. Movement conservatives will, ultimately, rally to McCain — as they rallied behind Bush the Elder in 1988.

“Conversely, if Barr enters the fall competition with a campaign message that extends from Ron Paul’s renegade run for this year’s Republican nod — which attracted so much Internet energy, money and support from young idealists — he might yet be the menace that Newt Gingrich fears.”

The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.