NATIONAL REVIEW: Chuck Muth of the Republican Liberty Caucus is in Washington, D.C., to meet with GOP operatives on what may be the most underreported political phenomenon of the last two election cycles: Libertarian Party candidates are seriously hurting Republicans . . . In both 1998 and 2000, a Republican candidate for Senate lost to a Democrat by a margin much less than the Libertarian's total vote. The most recent victim was Slade Gorton of Washington. In a final tally that took weeks to add up and confirm, he lost to Maria Cantwell by 2,228 votes. A Libertarian candidate, Jeff Jared, hauled in 64,734 votes. Two years earlier, Republican John Ensign lost to incumbent Democrat Harry Reid in Nevada by a measly 428 votes, in a race that saw Libertarian Michael Cloud draw 8,044 votes . . . The problem isn't just confined to the Senate. The GOP arguably would also control two more House seats if no Libertarians had run last fall. Rep. Steve Kuykendall of California lost re-election against Jane Harman by 4,452 votes; Libertarian candidate Daniel Sherma attracted 6,073 votes. In New Jersey, Democratic Rep. Rush Holt fended off Republican Dick Zimmer by 651 votes. Worth Winslow of the Libertarian Party attracted 1,225 votes.