Bob Barr was interviewed today by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.

Rachel Maddow: Here to try to talk me down is former Congressman Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for president this year. Hi Congressman Barr, thanks for joining us.

Bob Barr: Rachel, it’s great to be with you and an honor to be among the first guests on your new show. Thanks for having me.

Rachel Maddow: Very kind of you to say. What do you think when you hear McCain telling voters that he is the real agent of change, he is the real maverick to shake up Washington.

Bob Barr: It’s absolutely hilarious. As you indicated, there might be some reasons to elect this guy as president, but being a maverick is not one of them. This guy has “status quo Washington insider” written all over him, and this latest example of saying, “well gee we don’t really want to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but we’ve got to”, golly gee, and “where was Washington, it’s Congress’s fault”, this guy was in Congress, he’s been there almost 30 years!

Rachel Maddow: Well, the McCain campaign is banking to a certain extent on the idea that “lobbyist” is not a boring political word. They are campaigning as mavericks, they’re saying, “we’re gonna stand up to the lobbyist”. If the idea of a lobbyist is a potent negative image in politics, then what about the fact that the McCain campaign manager was a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac lobbyist? At that point doesn’t it come around to sort of bite them politically that the campaign is really being run by a lot of former lobbyists?

Bob Barr: Well, a little come around to bite them, if the people realize what’s going on. It’s important that you’re talking about it, that I’m talking about it, the others are talking about it, and it’s not just one or two lobbyists, I mean it’s dozens. I think at one point he had like five dozen lobbyists working for him. You know, this is one thing, you know, there are good lobbyists and there are bad lobbyists, but if you’re going to put yourself forward as somebody that is purer than the driven snow and never would have anything to do with a lobbyist, then you have to stand up to the scrutiny that you have lobbyists on your own payroll, and I don’t think he should be able to get away with that.

Rachel Maddow: We saw before John McCain picked Sarah Palin that they were really going with this “inexperienced” attack against Barack Obama. They were hitting that over and over and over again. After choosing Sarah Palin they’ve now shifted to this “running against lobbyists” idea. Do you think they should have stuck with the “inexperience” attack? How are you running against Barack Obaba?

Bob Barr: Well, that certainly is a legitimate complaint I beleive against Barack Obama, but it’s just as legitimate against Miss Palin. I mean, for heaven’s sake, the only foreign experience that has been put forward is, I think by Senator McCain’s wife who said, “well gee since Alaska’s on the same latitude as Russia and it’s really near” - I don’t think she noted that they used to be attached by a small land bridge - this means that she really understands Russia. No, the fact of the matter is that’s what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and it’s a legitimate complaint against both campaigns, particularly since Senator McCain of course as the oldest person ever to seek, or if he were sworn in, to be sworn in as president. These are legitimate concerns. Would his his running mate who would then would become vice president and a heartbeat away from the presidency, does that person really have the experience, and certainly in the foreign affairs arena the answer is a resounding “no”.

Rachel Maddow: Bob Barr, Libertarian candidate for president, I have to say I was not especially “talked down” about John McCain’s successful pitch as the “change” candidate, but thank you very much for chiming in and for joining us.

Bob Barr: My pleasure, Rachel.