Paulistas say, 'Why not Bob?'

While at the doctor's office for one last round of vaccinations today -- prior to departing to The Very Dangerous Foreign Country -- I got a call on my cell phone tipping me to a world exclusive:

Bob Barr, who helped lead the 1998 impeachment of President Clinton, is the object of an alliance of conservative and libertarians seeking to recruit the former Georgia Republican congressman as a third-party presidential candidate.
Now an Atlanta-based activist with the Libertarian Party, Barr has repeatedly disavowed any intention of seeking the LP's 2008 presidential nomination. ...
However, efforts to push a Barr candidacy were given new impetus last week when Rep. Ron Paul sent a letter to his supporters announcing plans to scale back his Republican presidential campaign and concentrate on his congressional re-election fight in Texas.
Several organizers behind the draft-Barr movement were supporters of the Paul presidential campaign. Last week, Barr introduced Paul at the 35th annual Conservative Political Action Conference, calling the Texas congressman "the Constitution's best friend" and "the gold standard of conservatism" in the GOP presidential campaign.
Barr's backers have also solicited support among conservative Republicans who were disappointed by last week's announcement -- made on the opening day of CPAC -- that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was suspending his Republican presidential campaign.
Former Romney backers were "very excited" by proposals to recruit Barr for a White House run on the Libertarian ticket, a source said. ...
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I actually got to hang out last week with Barr at CPAC. I jokingly blamed him for busting up a Thursday night party -- he showed up right after hotel security shut down the party for being too loud -- but got to spend some time with him Friday at Shelly's Backroom Tavern, one of the few places in DC where it is possible to smoke indoors.

Barr's a cigar smoker, and he's shown here with a fine smoke and some of his many admirers.