Advocates Push for Immigration Reform

Rallies titled "The Campaign to Reform Immigration for America" kicked off in more than 30 dozen cities across the country on Monday.

The group is made up of members of the faith, business and labor communities.

Its aim is to secure the federal votes needed so that millions of undocumented workers get to live inside the law.

State representative Pete Marin of Gwinnett County says granting some type of limited amnesty to undocumented workers means millions can live in the United States without fear of reprisals.

"People are afraid of getting out of their homes. People are afraid of engaging, of volunterism. People are afraid of going to the doctor, of going to the hospital. People are in fear. It is a sad story but I see families being split apart because of this, some of the racial laws that we're having."

Gina Perez is a third year accounting major at Georgia State University. She's got friends and family who are afraid to travel through some parts of the state.

"You know how lately there's been a lot of checkpoints on the road? There's this thing, like the prohibited counties. Cobb, Hall and Whitefield or Gwinnett. You do not go to those counties ‘cause you know if you go those counties and they check you, it's bad. How is it fair the regular police can act as ICE agents. It baffles my mind."

Immigration advocates say previous attempts to reform federal immigration laws under Presidents Regan and Clinton have failed and left undocumented workers with few, if any, constitutional protections.

Shuya Ohno is the national spokesman for the Campaign to Reform Immigration for America.

He describes immigration reform as a political hot potato, which no one wants to touch, until it’s politically advantageous to do so.

"I think a lot of people used it for kind of heated rhetoric more than policy solutions. That's why it became such a hot topic on talk radio and cable TV. Cause it was against the back drop of electoral politics."

It's estimated that five-percent of America's workforce are undocumented. That comes out to about 10 to 12 million people. Advocates say, those workers should be given a chance to work for equal pay, to pay back taxes, even a fine if that's required.

However, those who oppose amnesty of any kind for the undocumented -- including DeKalb County resident Joe Patricia Aaronstein -- say those workers should 'go home, get in line and wait their turn.'

"I'm for immigration that's legal. I've done it. I've lived in other countries. And, I did it the legal way. They should do it legally. They should apply for citizenship. There's a way to enter legally."

The Campaign for Immigration Reform for America hopes to persuade U-S legislators to create an independent commission, one which assesses nationwide labor shortages, including in agriculture.

The Obama administration has signaled that it wants to begin a discussion on comprehensive immigration reform before the end of the year.

Local West Georgia Police Department Banned From Stim Money

Police departments across the nation are sharing $1-billion of federal stimulus money to get more officers on the streets. But more than 20 local departments are banned from tapping those funds, including one in west Georgia.

The city manager of Manchester, Danny Walton, says his police department is feeling the pain:

"It just really hurts us not being able to get the stimulus money."

That’s because more than a decade ago, federal investigators found some departments across the country misused money from a Clinton-era program to put more police officers on the streets. Now, the Obama-administration is punishing the departments that erred by holding-back stimulus funding.

Walton says Manchester’s police department had bookkeeping problems, but to penalize them now is unfair:

"Sometimes we’ll go through six or seven officers a year, and when you try to backtrack that many years back...they didn’t say anything about it till two years ago, which was 10 years later. Trying to backtrack all that it’s just about impossible."

Walton says Manchester lost track of about $50,000 in grant money.

Without stimulus dollars, the city might have to consider layoffs—or worse—for its 19-member police department.

Cathy, Clinton honored for "greatness"

Chick-fil-A founder and Georgia native Truett Cathy is set to get the King Center's annual "Salute to Greatness" award. New York Senator Hillary Clinton will also be honored with an award during the January 17th event. The King Center in Atlanta grants the awards to thank recipients for "their humanitarian contributions toward fulfilling the dream of Martin Luther King Jr."

(Associated Press)

Romney ties Martin, Democrats to socialism

Senate candidate Jim Martin with former President Bill Clinton at Clark Atlanta University on Thursday; former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney with Republican incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss at a rally in Atlanta on Friday. (Photos: John Bazemore /AP)

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney lent his support to Sen. Saxby Chambliss on Friday, warning that a victory by the Democratic challenger in next month’s hotly contested runoff could be the first step toward a European brand of socialism.

Romney is the latest in a parade of GOP bigwigs who have flocked to the state in the weeks before the Dec. 2 runoff between Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin. Romney’s criticism is not unlike the line of attack Sen. John McCain used unsuccessfully against Democrat Barack Obama in the campaign for president.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, told a crowd of about 200 cheering supporters that the general election showed that people wanted change in Washington. But the Georgia runoff, he said, could alter the very nature of the country.

"This election is about whether we want to change America. And I want to keep America America," he said to applause.

"I think in this race you have two different men who have two different views. One would take America down the course of becoming like Europe, big taxes and big government," said Romney. Chambliss, he said, "fundamentally believes in keeping America strong and safe and free."

In a brief news conference after the speech, Romney added: "I want to make sure we don’t take a left turn toward Europe."

Martin, a former state legislator, dismissed the ideological labels and stressed his record of bipartisan cooperation.

"I was one of the most effective members of the state House. I worked across party lines, and I’m going to continue to do that in Washington," he said after appearing at a campaign office in Decatur. "I’ve been a person who has always worked to try to solve the problems people face."

The Georgia race, one of two unresolved Senate races, has taken on national significance. The other is in Minnesota, where a re-count will help determine whether Republican Sen. Norm Coleman or Democrat Al Franken is the winner.

Victories in both races would give Democrats the 60 seats needed to fend off Republican filibusters.

The stakes are high, and both parties have rolled out their political heavyweights. McCain and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee both stumped for Chambliss last week, and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to appear next week.

Former President Bill Clinton led a rally for Martin on Thursday and Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore, is set to appear Sunday. About 100 Obama field operatives have been helping boost turnout, and the president-elect recently recorded a radio ad supporting Martin’s campaign.

The national focus has helped the candidates fill their campaign coffers.

Chambliss raised about $1.9 million between Oct. 16 and Nov. 12, and has $1.4 million cash on hand remaining. Martin raised $2.4 million over the same time period, and has more than $600,000 left in the campaign bank.

Click here for more GPB News election coverage.

(AP)

Clinton for Martin, gun lobby for Chambliss on Wednesday

Georgia’s runoff election is ahead in 12 days, and for the candidates, little time to lose on the campaign trail. From Atlanta on the campus of Clark-Atlanta University, a few thousand Democratic supporters braved chilly temperatures in the 40’s to rally for U.S. Senate challenger Jim Martin. Supporters heard from a former president.

"His opponent was elected on a false premise six years ago, and is running on a false premise today"

Bill Clinton fired-up the crowd and looked to make the case of Martin’s ‘campaign for change’ against Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss. As Democrats have drawn to within two seats of a filibuster-proof U.S. Senate, high focus has fallen on the Georgia race. Clinton made that a recurring theme in his 20-minute address.

"We don't need a firewall, we need a bridge. Martin's the bridge, Chambliss is the firewall...this is not rocket science. ...will you put Georgia back on the right path and send a message to the rest of the country about what kind of state this is and what kind of people you are?"

Meanwhile, Chambliss was on the trail Wednesday with stops in Atlanta and Perry. He was alongside the executive VP of the National Rifle Association getting their support. Chambliss says in the wake of the GOP losing the Alaska Senate seat, he’s ready to handle the pressure of this race in Georgia.

"The pressure is always there in campaigns. Certainly it has become much more important with the situation in Alaska developing like it has. It's imperative we win this seat."

Ahead for Chambliss Friday, he’ll get a visit from Mitt Romney, former presidential candidate. Martin on Sunday gets former vice president Al Gore coming to Georgia.

Clinton to fundraise for King memorial

Organizers of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial say former President Bill Clinton will help raise funds to complete the project planned for the National Mall. The group announced Wednesday that Clinton will receive the foundation's "Humanitarian Award" and will serve as the keynote speaker of a Jan. 8 dinner in Miami to help raise funds for the memorial. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will sponsor the dinner. The memorial foundation has raised $100 million of the $120 million needed to complete the project. The project is slated for the banks of the Tidal Basin between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. It would be the first major tribute to a black leader on the National Mall.

(Associated Press)

Clinton to rally Martin supporters in Atlanta

Another high-profile name drops into the state today to get involved in the U.S. Senate race. Former president Bill Clinton will be in Atlanta this afternoon to headline a rally in support of Democrat Jim Martin. The hotly-contested race between Martin and Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss is leading to the runoff election in 13 days. Ahead on Friday, Chambliss’ camp will get the boost from former presidential candidate Mitt Romney. And on Sunday, more help for Martin arrives in the person of former vice president Al Gore.

Early voting for runoff races begins

Muscogee County voters during early elections at the Columbus Public Library. (Dave Bender/file)

Voters in most Georgia counties began casting ballots in several runoff races today. Dave Bender reports.

At the top of the list is the hotly-contested U.S. Senate runoff race between Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin.

Former presidential candidate John McCain and other senior Republican leaders have come out for Chambliss.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee addressed voters in Duluth on Sunday.

Former President Bill Clinton is set to arrive for a Martin rally on Wednesday.

Also in the offing are races for the Georgia State Appeals Court and the Public Service Commission's District 4.

Early voting in Fulton County begins Tuesday.

Fulton County voters go to the polls in the previous round of early voting. (Dave Bender/file)

The runoff is set for December second.

Both Chambliss and Martin are looking for new ways to coax weary Georgia voters back to the polls next month in one of the nation's most hotly contested Senate races.

Click here for more GPB election coverage.

Huckabee touts Chambliss, 'Fair Tax'

Former Arkansas Governor and presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee makes a point to the crowd about the Fair Tax as Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, his wife Julianne and Fair Tax officials look on, during a rally at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga., Nov. 16, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee on Sunday backed Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss in the December second runoff against Democrat Jim Martin.

Speaking after a heavily attended rally at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Huckabee says the race's outcome will influence the effect the Republican Party will have on the nation:

“This man stands for the things that, not only Georgians stand for, but most of America, really, stands for. We lose this vote, and we lose the capacity to really stand firm on those issues. This is a critical election for all of us around America who care deeply about things that are important to Georgians.”

Some 2,000 fervent Chambliss and the Fair Tax supporters packed the hall.

Seventh District Congressman John Linder, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and Fair Tax supporter Neal Boortz also spoke at the rally.

The proposal would eliminate income tax and the Internal Revenue Service, and put in place a national sales tax instead.

Former President Bill Clinton is due to headline a rally for Martin this coming Wednesday.

Early voting for the race begins Monday.

Click here for more GPB News election coverage.

Bill Clinton coming to stump for Martin

Chambliss and Martin squared off, along with Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley, at a Georgia Public Television debate on the Sunday before the Nov. 4th elections. (Dave Bender)

Former President Bill Clinton will headline a rally for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin in Georgia.

Clinton is the first big name Democrat to stump for Martin in his Dec. 2 runoff battle with Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Republican U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss at a recent press conference at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (Dave Bender)

Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain lent his star power to a Chambliss rally Thursday and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will stump with Chambliss Sunday.

McCain claimed Georgia's electoral votes on Election Day and Huckabee won the state's Feb. 5 presidential primary.

Clinton won Georgia in his 1992 presidential bid, the last Democrat to carry the state in the race for the White House.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin during a recent press conference at his headquarters in Atlanta. (Dave Bender/file)

Martin said Saturday that Clinton - who balanced the budget - would underscore the failures of Republican leadership in Washington when it came to the economy.

Click here for more GPB News election coverage.

(AP)

Chambliss, Martin rev up for runoff

Republican incumbent Senator Saxby Chamblis and Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin and at the GPBTV pre-election debate. (Dave Bender/file)

Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin were in full campaign mode this weekend, trying to coax enough votes to prevail in a Dec. 2 runoff election.


Republican incumbent Senator Saxby Chamblis talking with reporters at a press conference held at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (Dave Bender/file)

Chambliss’ camp is preparing for a visit from former GOP presidential candidate John McCain. Martin is meeting with Cobb County Democrats and planned to visit a party phone bank operation in Decatur.

Democratic Senate race candidate Jim Martin, talking to reporters at a press conference in downtown Atlanta. (Dave Bender/file)

With less than four weeks until they face voters again, neither campaign was waiting for Secretary of State Karen Handel to make it official when she certifies election results next week.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting throughout Georgia, neither Chambliss nor Martin accumulated enough ballots to pull above the needed 50 percent plus one of the vote. The Moultrie Republican is just short, with 49.8 percent. Martin, a former state lawmaker from Atlanta, has 46.8 percent. The race also included Libertarian Allen Buckley, who drew 3.4 percent.

Military and overseas ballots were among the last to be tallied by county officials. To be counted, they had to arrive by Friday.

The state’s most populous county had been set to certify its results Saturday. But a spokesman for Fulton County’s Board of Elections said problems with a faulty memory card delayed the effort.

Voters register to cast their ballot in advance voting at the Fulton Co. Government Center polling station in downtown Atlanta. (Dave Bender)

Fulton County Board of Elections spokesman Mark Henderson said the problem had been resolved but officials decided to audit the process before making the elections results official. The certification is now expected to take place Sunday or Monday, Henderson said.

Handel’s office has criticized Fulton County for being slow to count thousands of absentee ballots and her office is investigating. Henderson said county workers were exhausted after a marathon Election Day and were sent home for a few hours to rest.

The expected Chambliss-Martin contest is already drawing a national spotlight to Georgia.

The race is one of three unresolved Senate contests nationwide, along with Minnesota and Alaska. All involve Republican incumbents. If Democrats capture all three, it would give them a 60-seat majority in the Senate, a margin needed to block Republican filibusters.

Chambliss’ campaign said they’ve also been in touch with McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, about a possible Georgia visit.

McCain carried Georgia on Election Day by 52 percent to President-elect Barack Obama’s 47 percent.

Nonetheless, Martin has asked Obama to help out, but no word yet on whether he’ll stump for Martin.

Then President-elect Bill Clinton came to Georgia to campaign for Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler in his 1992 runoff race. But even with the high-profile help, Fowler went on to lose to Republican Paul Coverdell in what was the last U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia.

Martin and Chambliss arguing a point during the GPBTV pre-election debate. At bottom is Libertarian candidate Allan Buckley. (Dave Bender/file)

Click here for more GPB News election coverage.

Obama! Palin! Clinton! Romney!

With Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss headed to a run-off with Democratic opponent Jim Martin, and as that seat could end up being the filibuster-buster for Senate Democrats, rumors are flying around about just how much will be invested in the race.

As GPB reported earlier, Martin is hoping President-Elect Barack Obama will campaign in the state for him. Bill Clinton is also on Martin's short [wish] list. And now, this from Time Magazine's Swampland blog:

"Am told by a Dem operative working on the Georgia congressional race recount that the GOP is so serious about trying to preserve Chambliss's seat they're bringing in Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney. Because that worked out so well last time."

Actually, for Northwest Georgia, Romney might be a good choice. Many Republicans in the Rome area were itching for Romney to be on the Presidential ticket. Chambliss needs those voters to show up in December like they did on Tuesday.

And, while opponents of Palin are laughing as she is having to defend her position on Africa, those "Sarah!" bumper stickers outnumber the McCain stickers at least two to one on the side of town I live on.

Meanwhile, progressive and liberal netroots activists are raising money for Martin to get more of those "Saxby Economics"ads on the air. Maybe all the press and high profiles will generate more interest in the race. According to the vote tallies, about two hundred thousand people who voted for President, didn't cast a vote for Senator.

Clinton to raise funds in Atlanta

Democrat Jim Martin is getting some high-profile help in his bid for Georgia's US Senate seat. Former president Bill Clinton will be in Atlanta tomorrow to headline a fundraiser for Martin. Republican incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss has more money in his campaign account than Martin, despite Martin raising more cash in the last quarter.

Nat'l Fair Housing Comm. calls for better enforcement

Forty years after lawmakers targeted some of the last bastions of segregation - American communities - a national commission met today in Atlanta to discuss whether federal officials have failed to ensure equal housing opportunities.

The bipartisan National Fair Housing Commission's daylong meeting at Morehouse College Friday concludes a three-month investigation into enforcement of fair housing laws.

Today’s meeting focused on fair lending practices amid the nationwide foreclosure crisis.

Shanna Smith is president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance:

“Over the last 40 years, we have failed as a government, as states, as local communities, to enforce the fair housing laws and to promote social integration.”

Henry Cisneros, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 1997, under President Clinton chaired the morning session.

Cisneros says that a comprehensive solution may be necessary for the Atlanta area:

“This is a metropolitan area that needs to function as a whole, and it may be necessary to think in regional solutions that involve all of the counties, excepting some fair share of responsibility for creating economic opportunities.”

The panel, chaired by Henry Cisneros (center), former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development hear testimony at the morning session, held at Morehouse College, Atlanta on Friday, Oct. 17th, 2008. (Dave Bender)

The commission previously convened in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Boston.

A December report will outline recommendations to strengthen housing laws.

(With The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of housing issues.

Clinton stumps for Obama in Georgia

Former President Bill Clinton was in Georgia Thursday afternoon to lend a boost to Barack Obama’s campaign for the White House. The $1,000-a-head fundraiser was held at an Atlanta art gallery. A spokeswoman says as Clinton won Georgia in the 1992 election, the former president wanted to return here to do what he could to help Obama down the stretch in this election.

Obama evokes MLK , seeks 'mandate for change' in Georgia

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Monday he doesn't just want to win the White House -- he wants a mandate. And that includes competing in Georgia, a state that hasn't awarded its delegates to a Democrat in 16 years.

"I intend to win right here in the great state of Georgia," Obama told some 300 donors.

They had paid a minimum of $2,300 apiece and crowded into the upscale Atlanta restaurant 103 West to hear him speak. It was the first of two Atlanta fundraisers the Illinois senator headlined Monday night to stock his campaign warchest for the coming general election battle with Republican John McCain.

Obama evoked the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in his hometown, warning Democrats not to forget "the fierce urgency of now."

"We want a mandate for change and we're not just going to run in the same old states and have just everything hinge on Florida," Obama said.

"We're going to try and transform this political map."

He will host a town hall meeting today on the economy in the GOP stronghold of Cobb County.

Georgia Republicans went on the attack against Obama before he'd even arrived in the state. In a conference call with reporters, Georgia's two U.S. senators -- both Republicans -- blasted the Illinois senator on taxes, gas prices and the war in Iraq.

Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson said Georgians need to know about Obama's voting record, which they allege is out of step with many of the state's conservative voters. The Georgia Republican Party also issued a blistering press release taking aim at Obama's decision to forgo public financing for his campaign, among other things.

There's been talk that Georgia could be up for grabs in the November general election. And in South Carolina, two of Obama's top supporters said Monday he would put paid staff on the ground there, in another break with the recent Democratic strategy of bypassing a GOP-dominated state in the general election.

Isakson predicted Monday that Republican candidate John McCain would carry Georgia. He said the Obama camp is touching down in the state in what will be a futile attempt to engineer a win in Dixie.

"I think they would like nothing better than to crack a Southern state," Isakson said.

Chambliss, who's running for re-election this year, praised Obama for bringing new voters into the process.

"I have to commend him for that," Chambliss said. "But we want to make sure that people understand really how this guy has voted and what he stands for."

A spokesman for the Georgia Democratic Party said it was telling that Republicans launched such a coordinated offensive against Obama.

"Don't let our senators fool you -- Georgia is not as red as they would have you believe," Martin Matheny said.

Obama on Monday also received a plug from Georgia Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Vernon Jones on Monday who praised him for battling in the state unlike some previous Democratic presidential candidates "who wrote the South off."

The last Democrat to carry Georgia in a presidential contest was Bill Clinton in 1992.

Jones' comments came a few days after a mailer from his campaign made waves with the Obama camp. The flier featured a composite picture of Jones and Obama under Obama's signature slogan: "Yes We Can!

The Obama campaign issued a statement which said "despite what this mailer inaccurately suggests, Sen. Obama will not endorse a candidate in the U.S. Senate primary in Georgia." Jones brushed aside such criticism on Monday and said the flier merely shows that he's supporting Obama.

Jones volunteered that he can help Obama.

"For Sen. Obama to win Georgia he's going to need conservative Democrats like myself, obviously that's the great need," Jones said.

Obama: Jones mailer not an endorsement

Barack Obama's presidential campaign distanced itself Thursday from a mailer by Georgia Democratic Senate hopeful Vernon Jones that shows them together under Obama's signature slogan: "Yes we can."

Jones defended the mailer, saying it shows he supports the Illinois senator, not the other way around.

"It shows that I am the best person to work with Barack Obama to turn this country around,"Jones told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday.

Two of his four Democratic opponents pounced, saying the mailer suggests Jones — who twice voted for Republican George W. Bush — has Obama's backing.

"This last-ditch attempt to drape himself in the Barack Obama aura is not going to work," said challenger Dale Cardwell.

"A gross abuse and misuse of Barack Obama's wonderful success in Georgia," added candidate Rand Knight.

The five are facing off in a July 15 primary for the right to take on Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss in November.

Obama's campaign denied involvement with the flier Jones said was mailed statewide.

"The Obama campaign was not involved with the use of Sen. Obama's picture in this mailer," spokeswoman Amy Brundage said. "And despite what this mailer inaccurately suggests, Sen. Obama will not endorse a candidate in the U.S. Senate primary in Georgia."

The flier blends photos of Obama and Jones to make it appear they were at the same event, when they were not. It lists a variety of issues, from job creation to home foreclosure, on which the two share an agenda. "Like Barack Obama Vernon Jones Wants to ..." the list begins.

Jones said his opponents are attacking him because they are worried about his strength in the July 15 primary. He said they have been proclaiming their support for Obama for weeks.

Obama won Georgia handily in the state's Feb. 5 presidential contest, drawing 66 percent of the vote against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, including strong support from the state's large black population. Jones, the only black Senate candidate in Georgia, also is courting black voters.

Click here for more GPB News local coverage of the presidential election race.

Barr Running for President

Former GOP Congressman Bob Barr has announced he will run for President as a Libertarian. This comes despite protests from some Republicans that he could hurt John McCain’s chances. Barr left the Republican Party in 2006 citing the party’s stance on civil liberties. Four years earlier, he lost a re-election bid to keep his Georgia House seat.

Now, Barr says there needs to be an alternative to McCain and Democratic front runner Barrack Obama.

“It’s not a choice if the only two candidates presented to the American People are Senator McCain and Senator Obama… Two establishment candidates that are very much Washington creatures.”

Barr oversaw the House impeachment case against former President Bill Clinton. He has the support of about three percent of Americans according to a recent Zogby poll. If Barr does enter the race today, he will have to be nominated at the Libertarian convention, later this month.

Bob Barr to run for president

Former GOP Congressman Bob Barr is expected to announce today he will run for President as a Libertarian. This comes despite protests from some Republicans that he will hurt Presumptive GOP front runner John McCain’s chances.

Barr left the Republican Party in 2006 citing the party’s stance on civil liberties. Four years earlier, he lost a re-election bid to keep his Georgia House seat. Now, Barr says there needs to be an alternative to McCain and Democratic front runner Barrack Obama.

"It’s not a choice if the only two candidates presented to the American People are Senator McCain and Senator Obama," says Barr. "Two establishment candidates that are very much Washington creatures."

Barr oversaw the House impeachment case against former President Bill Clinton. He has the support of about five percent of Americans according to a recent Zogby poll. If Barr does enter the race today, he will have to be nominated at the Libertarian convention, later this month.

Carter: either Obama or Clinton by June 3rd

Former President Jimmy Carter is calling for deciding the Democratic Party presidential nominee by June 3rd:

"I don’t see any reason at all to continue after June 3rd when we know who got the most [pledged] delegates, who got the most popular votes, who won the most states and so forth,” Carter said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

Carter has not endorsed either Illinois Senator Barak Obama, or New York Senator Hillary Clinton, but made his sentiments clear:

“overseas there is an intense infatuation with Obama, perhaps more than there ever has been in previous history with any candidate," adding, “A lot of them see Obama as kind of a diametrical opposite from George W. Bush and they think that he will bring to the presidency a brand new picture of what the White House and Washington and the United States ought to be.”

Carter pondered about the content of the inaugural address, were Obama to win the presidency:

"If the first statement he made was while I’m president of the United States we will never torture another prisoner and while I’m President of the United States we will never go to war unless our own security is directly threatened...it would transform the image of the United States in the minds of many people around the world."

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the presidential race, and here for more on Carter.