This will be short and bitter and full of a sense of schadenfraude. I am gratified to know that we can now see John McCain in all his partisan plumage. A Republian is a Republican is a Republican
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/17/politics/campaign/17nader.html
McCain Urges Florida Court to Allow Nader on State Ballot
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: September 17, 2004
ASHINGTON, Sept. 16 - Senator John McCain, the maverick Arizona Republican who has lately emerged as a strong supporter of President Bush, called Thursday for the Supreme Court of Florida to allow Ralph Nader's name on the state's presidential ballot.
The state's highest court, which was deeply embroiled in the contested election in Florida in 2000, is to hear arguments on Friday on whether the Reform Party is a legitimate national party and whether Mr. Nader can run as its party's presidential candidate in the Nov. 2 election.
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If the Florida Supreme Court rules against Mr. Nader, and if federal issues arise, Mr. McCain is likely to file a friend-of-the-court brief on Mr. Nader's behalf, said Trevor Potter, the institute's general counsel and former chairman of the Federal Election Commission.
Mr. Potter said that the Nader campaign first sought Mr. McCain's backing in the case last week and that subsequently the Bush campaign also asked him to get involved.
"They have expressed an interest in this and reached out to McCain's staff, knowing of his interest in ballot-access issues," Mr. Potter said.
Reed Dickens, a spokesman for the Bush campaign, said, "As campaign policy, we do not discuss private conversations between our campaign and Senator McCain's office."
But Mr. Dickens indicated that the Bush campaign thought Mr. Nader should be on the ballot, saying of the battle in Florida: "This is a continued and coordinated effort on the Kerry campaign's part to keep third-party candidate off the ballot in November."
Mr. Nader is being represented in the current Florida case by Ken Sukhia, a former United States attorney who helped represent Mr. Bush during the Florida recount in 2000.