Holy crap!  Former Republican Congressman and current Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr has shaken up the “liberty movement” in a courageous (and as far as I know unprecedented) move to replace his VP running mate - the little-known Wayne Allyn Root - with former Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul.

Let that sink in for a minute.  When was the last time a presidential candidate switched running mates midstream?  (Maybe some scholar who stumbles onto this entry can illuminate us.) 

Back in May, Barr became the LP candidate after six rounds of hard-fought voting (his final victory came as a result of Root throwing his support behind Barr).  Now, speaking as a dues-paying member of the LP, I cringed at the idea of Root (who is essentially a gambling entrepreneur from Vegas) being the LP candidate, and I haven’t been at all happy about him being on the Barr ticket; that said, I still support the Libertarian cause and plan to vote for Barr in any case.  He has transformed himself politically from a rank-and-file Republican conservative to a leading critic of the War on Terror and the War on Drugs, and a proponent of civil liberties and Constitutional adherence.

Where does Ron Paul fit in to all this?  Recall that Paul was the LP’s presidential nominee in 1988.  He was also the last of John McCain’s rivals to bow out during the primary season, having earned something like 5-7% of Republican votes.  His campaign was notable for the enthusiasm of his supporters and its ability to raise money.

And now (September 9th) Barr has sent an open letter to Ron Paul asking him once again to join the LP ticket.  Interestingly, Root supports the initiative.  There’s no doubt Paul would give added visibility to the LP cause, and frankly I don’t see how it could do anything but help.  While both Barr and Paul have been controversial political figures (they are true mavericks, a label to which John McCain so often lays claim), but no one can doubt they are well-educated, well-spoken, energetic and experienced political professionals.

I say go for it, Ron!

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