McAuliffe complained that Nader is benefiting from Republicans who are helping him get on the ballot in several key states.

"I was very upset this week to see that Dick Armey, the former Republican House Majority Leader, is spending money to get people to sign Ralph Nader petitions," he told CBS. "They did it up in Oregon. They are calling people to say, 'If you want to help George Bush, go out and help Ralph Nader.'"

Agreeing that Nader could make it impossible for Kerry to defeat Bush, the Democratic Party chief insisted, "He needs to get out of the race."

Asked if he'd be willing to offer him a job in a Kerry administration, McAuliffe at first demurred, saying, "I'll leave that up to Sen. Kerry,"

But in the next breath he volunteered that Nader "can have an important role in whatever we do going forward."

Editor's note: