Bob Barr
Robert L. (Bob) Barr, Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an attorney and a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia. Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia, from 1995 to 2003.
Barr, a member of the Republican Party, is an adamant proponent of the War on Drugs. Prior to his work in Congress, President Ronald Reagan appointed him to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. He served from 1986 until 1990. Despite being an ardent drug warrior, Barr opposed the RAVE Act. He also is a staunch supporter of the right to bear arms.
Barr achieved significant fame as one of the leaders of the effort to impeach President Bill Clinton. President Clinton was later acquitted by the Senate.
Prior to the 2002 elections, the Democratic-controlled Georgia legislature split Barr's 7th district during the redistricting process. He chose to challenge fellow Republican Congressman John Linder for the new 7th district, which included portions of the 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 11th (where Linder was the incumbent) districts. Barr lost in the primary and Rep. Linder was then elected in the general election.
While Congressman Barr supported and voted for the USA PATRIOT Act, he was one of the chief architects of the 'sunset clause' which requires most new powers granted to the government under the act to be renewed by Congress in 2005. Since leaving Congress in 2003, he has become a vocal opponent of the Patriot Act and has stated that he regrets voting for it, and opposes any attempt by Congress to renew many of its provisions in 2005.
More recently Barr has become a prominent member of the American Civil Liberties Union, sometimes doing paid consulting on privacy issues. In the 2004 Presidential election, Barr abandoned the Republican Party and publicly endorsed the presidential ticket of the United States Libertarian Party .
External link
- Barr's Official Website
- The FBI's Pre-Emptive Interrogations Of "Possible" Demonstrators - Article by Barr on Findlaw.com