Maverick Mike

What do you think of the ongoing battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?
It's a bit of a mess. The Democrats have a great skill for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. And the Democratic Party is the war party whether we want to believe it or not. They voted for the war in Iraq. I think that the infighting is going to benefit the Libertarian party. I think it will bring clarity on a comparative basis: Obama talks about change but has nothing specific to offer, and Hillary is more of the same.

What do you think of Sen. John McCain, the GOP nominee?
McCain is not a stable person. I think there is something wrong with him. He's a warmonger, and he believes in pre-emptive war, which means he is willing to go to war with anyone in the world. The nation in terms of leadership is in very serious trouble.

What kind of a shot do you have in November?
I have a very decent shot and the reason is the Democrats, from a policy point of view, will not be all that different from the Republicans. Both parties are raising all their money from Wall Street, so the same people who own the Republican Party own the Democratic Party. So neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton will be as bad as McCain in terms of being a warmonger, but they are still part of the military-industrial complex, and we will still be the self-appointed policemen of the world. I don't think Americans want that. When I have the [Libertarian Party] standing behind me, I don't think [the other candidates] can stand the withering fire I will heap upon them … Hillary and Obama won't even understand what I'm talking about. They don't understand that the American people are smarter than they are.

Did you have to tweak your message in order to fit into the Libertarian mold?
My message is not reformulated at all, because none of my messages really differ from those of the Libertarian Party. [Running the campaign] is going to be a lot easier for me because I am getting more attention [after switching to the Libertarian Party], and I am getting more respect. I will be included in the debate in Kansas City for Libertarian candidates, and I'm sure it will be more of a fair debate than I had with the Democrats.

Do you think your joining the Libertarians might breath new life into the party?
Yes. The Libertarians have been given short shrift over a period of time, and I think the American people are fed up with the other parties, which means they are looking elsewhere. So now they are looking for someone to come forward with an agenda to empower the American people--like ending the war on drugs, ending the structure of spending our treasure on defense when we don't even have a threat from any other country in the world. This is insanity.

But third-party candidates never fare well in general elections. Do you think America is really ready to elect a candidate who isn't a Democrat or a Republican?
Yes. I think this is just like when the Whigs turned into the Republican Party [in the late 19th century]. We were aiming at that point in history for a perfect storm, and we are aiming at that perfect storm again now.