Opinion: And you thought the debates were over? Not for Bob Barr and Ralph Nader

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John McCain and Barack Obama aren’t the only presidential candidates making their final plea for votes this week.

Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr and independent Ralph Nader are doing it, too.

And today, Barr and Nader will square off in their first -- and last -- debate. You might not notice. But The Ticket sees all.

OK, so it’s not a 30-minute prime time television special. But it’s a start.

The candidates will meet this afternoon in Cleveland to talk about the economy, according to a news release sent out by Barr’s campaign Wednesday.

Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party nominee, will also take part in the debate. (Nader and Baldwin have met before. There’s a video of their previous debate below here.)

Much to their chagrin, none of the third-party candidates were invited to any of the Obama-McCain debates put on by the Presidential Debate Commission this fall.

Nader, Barr, Baldwin and Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney had planned to appear at their own debate earlier this month at Columbia University, but that event was canceled because of scheduling conflicts.

In related news, the New Yorker’s Raffi Khatchadourian has an excellent profile of Barr that gives a glimpse of what it’s like to be a third-party candidate (Hint: They get no respect).

-- Kate Linthicum

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