Michael Badnarik, Libertarian Presidential candidate

Michael Badnarik is the Presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, by most measures the most successful "third-party" in the United States. You can learn about his campaign by clicking here.

Mr. Badnarik spoke this afternoon with American Politics Today from a march in St. Louis, where he was on his way to either join the Presidential "town meeting" debate between Democrat John Kerry and Republican George Bush or to be arrested trying.

His press office issued this statement:

"Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian Party's 2004 presidential nominee, will debate John Kerry and George W. Bush in St. Louis on Friday. Or he'll go to jail instead.

"'A majority of Americans say that I should be included in the events sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates,' says Badnarik, 50, of Austin, Texas. 'And the CPD, as a non-profit, has received special treatment from government on the requirement that they be non-partisan in their activities. Bi-partisan is not non-partisan.

"'Unless I am allowed to participate, the debates become a massive campaign contribution to two of the candidates, illegal under the very campaign finance laws those two candidates have passed and signed as Senator and President.'

"At 8 p.m. on Friday evening, Badnarik, along with the demonstrators expected to assemble in protest against his exclusion, will proceed to the police line erected to keep himself and the other legitimate candidates out during broadcast of the 'bi-partisan campaign commercial.'

"And then he will cross it."

You can listen to Mr. Badnarik's views as he strides towards his encounter with destiny (or at least with some St. Louis police), by clicking here.