[AuH2ORepublican]

I forgot about Governor Don Carcieri of Rhode Island, whom JohnnyZ mentioned. Along with Pawlenty, the pro-life conservative Carcieri, who won the governorship with 55% in the most Democratic state of the union, is someone to keep an eye out for. His biggest problem is that he's from a tiny state that the GOP probably wouldn't carry even if he was the VP candidate and which is in a region with very few winnable states. Ceteris paribus, I'd much rather have a Midwesterner like Pawlenty on the ticket. The Great Northeastern Hope of the GOP was Brett Schundler of New Jersey, but unfortunately he lost to McGreevey in 2001 when the RINO establishment did everything it could to ensure a conservative didn't get elected. Had Schundler won the governorship in 2001 and run New Jersey like he ran Jersey City, he'd be one of my top choices for president or VP in 2008.

And if Herman Cain gets elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia in November, he'd be a bold choice for VP in 2008. Sure, he'd only have been in politics for 4 years, but as a real-life Horatio Alger story who would be the only black in the U.S. Senate (where he'd surely be a force in favor of individual Social Security accounts and other conservative causes), he could convince millions of conservative blacks (most blacks are socially conservative and agree with the GOP on many issues) to come over to our Party. Herman Cain would give us most of the benefits of nominating a Colin Powell or a Condi Rice without sacrificing our conservative principles. But he has to win the Senate primary first!

[Pubbie]

"I forgot about Governor Don Carcieri of Rhode Island, whom JohnnyZ mentioned. Along with Pawlenty, the pro-life conservative Carcieri, who won the governorship with 55% in the most Democratic state of the union, is someone to keep an eye out for."

Ehh I don't like Carcieri as a POTUS candidate because of the Regional issues - even though he is very Conservative.

We'd be better off running Santorum (To get the Rust Belt), Owens (To Get the West) or Sanford (To get the South).