3rd Party 'Spoilers' Could Tip Balance

The presidential election could well turn on a factor that has gotten virtually no discussion this year -- the votes drawn by Libertarian Bob Barr, Green Cynthia McKinney and independent Ralph Nader.

Recent polls show a race too tight to call: Gallup tracking from Sept. 23 showed Barack Obama up only three points with 47 percent to John McCain's 44 percent. More interesting is a CNN/Opinion Research poll released Sept. 22 that includes all five candidates for president. McCain is at 45 percent, Obama is at 48 percent, and Barr, McKinney and Nader are polling a combined 6 percent of the vote. (Nader captured 4 percent and Barr and McKinney each got 1 percent.) In a close contest, the support for any of these three could well decide which major party comes out ahead nationally and in key swing states...

There's also a wild card: Libertarian Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who sought the GOP nomination and has continued to attract fervent supporters to his ''Campaign for Liberty'' attacking big government and the two-party system. After months of bickering with the Libertarian Barr, last week he threw his support behind yet another alternative party candidate, Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party. - The Miami Herald

Nader Blasts Obama and McCain

Perennial presidential hopeful Ralph Nader, who plans a rally in Amherst today, yesterday insisted he is the only candidate “who recognizes people’s necessities” and blasted the Democratic and GOP positions on the war and the economy.

Nader maintained his long-shot campaign persona as a populist gadfly, criticizing Friday’s financial bailout package, which was backed by Barack Obama and John McCain, calling it a bag of “freebies and goodies garnished with window dressing.”

The longtime consumer activist attacked both parties for their support of the package, charging it contains no criminal prosecution of the “corporate crooks who brought us this financial meltdown.” - Boston Herald

McKinney Accuses D.O.D Of Cover-Up

Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, known for her provocative statements when she was a congresswoman from Georgia, accused the Department of Defense this week of using Hurricane Katrina to cover up the slaughter of 5,000 prisoners.

At a news conference in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, McKinney claimed the Pentagon authorized the execution of the prisoners with one bullet to the head three years ago and then dumped their bodies in a Louisiana swamp.

McKinney said she heard the story from the mother of a National Guard soldier who said her son was assigned to help dispose of the bodies. - Fox News

Ron Paul Endorses Baldwin

Pensacola's Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party presidential nominee, has picked up his biggest endorsement yet.

Former Republican candidate U.S. Rep. Ron Paul announced his support of the pastor's candidacy on Tuesday.

Paul had campaigned for the Republican nomination and created a small political sensation with his vocal, grassroots supporters and hefty online fundraising abilities.

In January's presidential preference primaries, Paul won about 5 percent of the vote in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties, finishing fifth in both counties out of nine Republicans on the ballot. He withdrew from the campaign on June 12.

"I'm pretty much overwhelmed," Baldwin said of the endorsement. "He and I have been friends for some time, and he knows I share his fundamental principles." - PNJ.com

Ron Paul and Ralph Nader

Now that Ron Paul, the rejected Republican candidate for president and longtime congressman from Texas, is calling on the forces of the "Ron Paul Revolution'' to rise up and vote for a third-party candidate in November, he's refraining from personally endorsing the best-known of those third-party contenders yet rallyng votes for him.

Appearing alongside Ralph Nader in CNN's Situation Room, Paul maintained that no one should read any personal endorsement into this.

"No. Ralph is a good friend, but we agree on tactics and what we're doing -- we agree on these very important issues, but quite frankly, he probably wouldn't have joined my campaign and I probably won't join his,'' Paul told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. - Tribune's Washington Bureau

Barr: Get McCain/Obama Off Texas Ballot

WASHINGTON — Libertarian presidential nominee Bob Barr’s campaign filed suit Tuesday seeking to remove Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama from the ballot in Texas, alleging that the two major candidates missed the deadline for officially filing to be on the ballot.

The lawsuit by the former Republican congressman from Georgia claims that neither McCain nor Obama met the requirement of Texas law that all candidates provide “written certification” of their nomination “before 5 p.m. on the 70th day before election day,” because neither had been formally nominated by their respective parties in time. The suit was filed in the Texas Supreme Court in Austin.

That would have been Aug. 25. Obama did not accept his party’s nomination until Aug. 28, McCain his on Sept. 4.

“The seriousness of this issue is self-evident,” the lawsuit states. “The hubris of the major parties has risen to such a level that they do not believe that the election laws of the State of Texas apply to them.” - AJC

Cynthia McKinney's Call For Probe

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders expressed support for Green presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney's call for a new investigation of the 9/11 attacks and for public release of important evidence and files related to 9/11.

On Thursday afternoon, Ms. McKinney spoke at St. Marks Church in Manhattan at a 9/11 anniversary press conference promoting a New York City ballot initiative for a new investigation (http://www.nyc911initiative.org). Ms McKinney is speaking at other events related to 9/11 in the next few days (http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/event).

Greens also supported a resolution passed by Veterans For Peace at the latter's annual meeting earlier this week in Minneapolis addressing Bush military policy in Afghanistan and Iraq and impeachment and prosecution of President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes, violations of the US Constitution, and abuses of power. The text of the resolution is appended below. - Green Party Press Release