Ex-GOP Rep. Barr weighs run for president

WASHINGTON — Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr said Saturday that he had formed a presidential exploratory committee and may seek the Libertarian Party nomination.

The former Georgia congressman left the GOP in 2006 over what he called bloated spending and civil liberties intrusions by the Bush administration. Barr, 59, became a favorite of conservatives in the 1990s for his persistent attacks on President Clinton.

He runs a lobbying and public affairs firm with offices in Atlanta and outside Washington. His clients have included the American Civil Liberties Union and the Marijuana Policy Project, a group pushing Congress to legalize the medical use of marijuana. Barr holds a chair at the American Conservative Union Foundation and is a board member of the National Rifle Assn.