The American Spectator

p> PEACHY KEEN br> One thing that you can say for former Rep. Bob Barr is that he’s a party man through and through. With Sen. Zell Miller retiring, Georgia politicos and national Republicans figured Barr would immediately jump into the ring to scare off potential competition. /p>

Barr lost his House seat in the 2002 Republican primary against John Linder, after the Georgia legislature had reconfigured state districts and forced the two into a race against each other. Linder was re-elected. Barr joined up with colleague Dick Armey and signed on as a consultant to the American Civil Liberties Union.

But Barr knows he probably isn’t the White House’s first choice to run for Miller’s Senate seat, though he had decent relations with the Bush team during their short time working together.

Thus far the highest profile Republican announced to run for Miller’s seat is Rep. Johnny Isakson, who holds the seat formerly held by Newt Gingrich. The White House continues to look at the potential Senate race with interest, as it is one of the party’s best pickup possibilities in 2004. Rumors continue to swirl around state party chief Ralph Reed, who has said he isn’t interested in running, but who remains in the White House mix if only because of his national reputation and his ability to fundraise across the country.

So with Isakson as the only announced runner, Barr is moving in at least to fill Isakson’s slot. It now appears that Barr will run for the solidly Republican 6th congressional seat Isakson currently holds.

For Republicans it’s a win-win situation. They get a high-name ID candidate for the 6th, who should win easily, while improving GOP chances of winning the Senate seat by cutting the amount of potential intramural party infighting leading into the primary. And of course, it means the party gets one of its conservatives back where he belongs.

p> PRIVATE KERRY