A conservative group financed by Karl Rove launched the third effort this month
to recall John McCain, an effort that members acknowledged was unlikely to succeed.

A group calling itself "Rove's Rangers" on Monday filed a form that enables them
to start collecting the required 349,269 signatures of registered voters by Oct. 16.

bartcop.com  has obtained a picture of this "citizen group."

''In his insatiable desire for massive national media attention, he has all but forgotten
the people of Arizona who elected him,'' the Rove filing said.

The group criticized McCain for his vote against a tax cut supported by President Bush and other Republicans.
''The final straw is the tax cut. It was just kind of an 'in your face' maneuver by our senator,''
said Douglas D. Carlson, the group's treasurer.

McCain's spokeswoman, Nancy Ives, noted that a recent independent poll by the Phoenix-based
Behavior Research Center found McCain was nine points ahead of Bush in approval ratings.
Ives said McCain ''will continue to work in what he believes is in their best interest,
and he is gratified by the support of the majority his constituents.''

The latest filing was the third Rove-financed attack this month on McCain. The "citizen committees" who filed
the two earlier petitions did not return calls Monday, as Mr. Rove was unavailable to give them instructions.

Federal elected officials are not subject to Arizona's recall laws but McCain
is among officeholders who have agreed to resign if they lose a recall election.