Heirs of Liberty Press

Bob Barr - Libertarian

C. Gialluca, Columnist / Reporter

Barr was born on November 5, 1948, in Iowa City, Iowa, spent his boyhood in Malaysia, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Baghdad in Iraq, and finally Tehran, Iran where he graduated from Community High School in 1966. Barr returned to the United States, attending the University of Southern California. Barr also joined the Young Democrats of America and rallied against the Vietnam War. Barr's mother introduced him to the work of Ayn Rand. This fostered a new-found appreciation for conservatism and prompted Barr to join the Young Trojan Republican Club. Barr completed his B.A., cum laude, from University of Southern California in 1970. Barr earned a master's degree in International Affairs from George Washington University in 1972, and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1977.

From 1971 to 1978, Barr was employed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an analyst of Latin American issues. After leaving the CIA, Barr moved to Georgia, where he practiced law and became active in the Republican Party, serving as county chair. Barr made an unsuccessful bid for the Georgia House of Representatives in 1984.

In 1986, Barr was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia—a post Barr held until 1990. Barr's office prosecuted state and local officials, members of the Medellin drug cartel, and got a perjury indictment on then-sitting Republican Congressman Pat Swindall, who ultimately served a year in prison on the charges. From 1990 to 1991, Barr was president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, an Atlanta-based law firm and policy center that litigates in support of "limited government, individual economic freedom, and the free enterprise system".

Barr was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 as a Republican to represent Georgia's 7th congressional district in the 104th United States Congress. Barr was later re-elected three times, serving from 1995 to 2003. While in Congress, Barr served as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, as Vice-Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Veteran's Affairs. During his tenure, Barr was regarded as one of the most conservative members of Congress. In 2002, he was described as "the idol of the gun-toting, abortion-fighting, IRS-hating hard right wing of American politics"

Barr was originally a strong supporter of the War on Drugs, reflecting his previous experience as an Anti-Drug Coordinator for the United States Department of Justice. While in Congress, he was a member of the Speaker's Task Force for a Drug-Free America. Barr advocated complete federal prohibition of medical marijuana. In 1998, He successfully blocked implementation of Initiative 59 — the "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1998" — which would have legalized medical marijuana in Washington, D.C. Barr would later reverse his position on medical marijuana, joining MPP as a lobbyist five years later. In a June 4, 2008 interview with Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report, Barr confirmed that he now supports ending marijuana prohibition, as well as the War on Drugs for which he once vehemently fought.

Barr took a lead in legislative debate concerning same-sex marriage. He authored and sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act, a law enacted in 1996 which states that only marriages that are between a man and a woman can be federally recognized, and individual states may choose not to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in another state. He now opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, contending it is a violation of states' rights.

He voted for the first Patriot Act, but only after his amendments adding "sunset clauses" were added to the final bill. Barr played a similar role during the debate over Bill Clinton's Comprehensive Anti-terrorism Act of 1995, crafting pro-civil liberties amendments to the original text. He now publicly regrets his Patriot Act vote.

In 2002 Barr voted for the Iraq Resolution. He has since called for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, leaving no permanent military bases. A press release from Barr's presidential campaign stated: "The next president should commit to a speedy and complete withdrawal from Iraq, and tell the Iraqi people that the U.S. troops will be going home."

Barr advocates the repeal of the 16th Amendment, which gives the U.S. Congress the power to levy an income tax without apportionment. As an alternative, he proposes a form of consumption tax, such as the FairTax. He also favors drastic reductions in government spending and the elimination of corporate welfare.

In the 2004 presidential election, Barr abandoned the Republican Party and publicly endorsed the Libertarian Party presidential nominee Michael Badnarik. In 2006, he joined the Libertarian Party as a regional representative, then serving on the Libertarian National Committee.

Barr sat on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association from 2001 to 2007.
More recently, Barr has become a prominent member of the American Civil Liberties Union, sometimes doing paid consulting on privacy issues.
Barr is a commentator on political and social issues and is chairman of the American Conservative Union Foundation's '21st Century Center for Privacy and Freedom'.
On December 12, 2006, Barr became a regional representative on the Libertarian National Committee.

Barr is one of the four founders of the American Freedom Agenda, which is described as "a coalition established to restore checks and balances and civil liberties protections under assault by the executive branch."