Did the "Barr" for McCain Just Get Higher?

This adds in interesting twist to the race:

Barr announces Libertarian White House bid, by Ben Evans, AP: Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr launched a Libertarian Party presidential bid Monday, saying voters are hungry for an alternative to the status quo who would dramatically cut the federal government.

His candidacy throws a wild card into the White House race that many believe could peel away votes from Republican Sen. John McCain given the candidates' similar positions on fiscal policy.

Barr, who has hired Ross Perot's former campaign manager, acknowledged that some Republicans have tried to discourage him from running. But he said he's getting in the race to win, not to play spoiler or to make a point. ...

Barr first must win the Libertarian nomination at the party's national convention that begins May 22. Party officials consider him a front-runner...

If he wins the White House, he said he would immediately freeze discretionary spending in Washington. He also would begin withdrawing troops from Iraq and consider slashing spending at federal agencies such as the departments of education and commerce _ as well as at overseas military bases.

The former U.S. attorney also said he would strictly enforce immigration laws. ...

Barr, 59, quit the Republican Party two years ago, saying he had grown disillusioned with its failure to shrink government and its willingness to scale back civil liberties in fighting terrorism. He has been particularly critical of President Bush over the war in Iraq and says the administration is ignoring constitutional protections on due process and privacy.

While in Congress, he was a persistent critic of President Clinton and was among the first to press for impeaching the former president. He helped manage House Republicans' impeachment case before the Senate. ...

Above: "many believe [Barr] could peel away votes from Republican Sen. John McCain given the candidates' similar positions on fiscal policy." Similar positions? McCain's plan makes no sense. Then again, I guess the two plans are similar...

I'm not counting on this, but in addition to the potential to help Democrats, there's another possible positive. If Barr's entry into the race does anything at all to force other candidates to adopt positions that reduce the "willingness to scale back civil liberties" and the government's "ignoring constitutional protections on due process and privacy," that will be a step in the right direction.