Bob Barr, The Republicans Ralph Nader

AFTER months of a relatively free run, thanks to the Democratic Party's distractions, the Republican presumptive nominee John McCain ran into some turbulence from his own side of politics when a little-known former congressman announced he would run as a libertarian candidate, on a platform of smaller government.

Bob Barr said on Monday he was launching a presidential bid because voters were hungry for an alternative to the status quo who would dramatically cut the federal government.

His candidacy could draw votes from Senator McCain, particularly from the small but solid support base of Ron Paul, who attracted 2 to 8 per cent of the vote in the primaries on a similar small-government platform. Mr Barr, who has hired Ross Perot's former campaign manager, acknowledged that some Republicans had tried to discourage him from running. But he said he was getting in the race to win, not to play a spoiler or to make a point.

Yea sure Bob