Ralph Nader Calls Hillary a 'Coward'

In what could be a looming nightmare for Democrats, Ralph Nader said he is seriously considering running for president again in 2008 – calling front-runner Hillary Clinton a "political coward.”

"The two parties are still converging,” he declared in an interview with Roger Simon of politico.com.

"I really think there needs to be more competition from outside the two parties . . .

"What third parties can do is bring young people in, set standards on how to run a presidential election and keep the progressive agenda in front of the people. And maybe tweak a candidate here and there in the major parties.”

Nader offered praise for two very dark horses in the 2008 race, Republican Ron Paul and Democrat Mike Gravel, but he strongly criticized Hillary.

"She is a political coward,” he said. "She goes around pandering to powerful interest groups on the one hand and flattering general audiences on the other.

"She doesn’t even have the minimal political fortitude of her husband.”

Many Democrats still blame Nader for siphoning votes away from Al Gore in 2000 and helping to elect George Bush. Nader got only 2.74 percent of the popular vote as the Green Party candidate, but he received 97,448 votes in Florida – a state Gore lost by just 537 votes.

Chris Lehane, who worked on Gore’s presidential campaign, told politico.com about Nader’s possible candidacy: "His entry into the race, even to those who voted for him in 2000, would be just another vainglorious effort to promote himself at the expense of the best interests of the public.”