Nader - what else can you say?

Bob Herberts latest article over at the Times is about Nader once again throwing his hat in the ring. It's a pretty good one; respectful of the guys accomplishments while pointing out that his continual runs hurt the very issues he cares about.

And while he will deny with every bit of energy he can muster (like a man protesting too much) that he was responsible for tossing the presidential election to George W. Bush in 2000, it’s very difficult to make the case that the end result wouldn’t have been different if Mr. Nader had not run.

It would have been impossible to believe during his heyday that Ralph Nader could be despised by many Democrats and progressives, that he would become a target of their ridicule and vitriol. He is now widely viewed as a hapless perennial candidate with no political upside and the ever-present potential of throwing an election the wrong way.

. . . The conventional wisdom is that Mr. Nader’s candidacy won’t have much of an effect this year. But conventional wisdom has already been turned on its head repeatedly in this campaign.

I have to second all that. Nader has the right to run, of course. But I have the right to disapprove of his run. And I do.