And They're Off! (The 2008 GOP handicapping begins)

The Weekly Standard ^ | January 31, 2005 | Duncan Currie

[LibertarianInExile]

Look, they included a conservative to make us all feel better. George Allen's on there! How nice of them! /sarcasm

This is a leftist's dream primary.

[LibertarianInExile]

Run Rummy Run! I like him, too. I'd love to see Rummy and a good number of conservatives out there to choose from, instead of just McCainiac and Screwliani.

[Indy Pendance]

It's just too soon for them to even speculate.

[Dan from Michigan]

I think we need someone not named Bush or Dole at the top. No Dynasties. Jeb maybe in 2012 or 2016, but not 08. Besides, Jeb in 2012 can run on his own record, and it won't be a referendum on his brother, good or bad.

As for Rice, she's unproven on domestic issues. She has no record there. She's intelligent and competent in foreign policy matters, but she's only listed here as presidential material because she's black and a woman. If she was a white guy, there wouldn't be any talk here whatsoever about her being presidential material. It would be the same talk as say, Don Rumsfeld. I'd like to see Rice run for senator or governor instead first.

Would I vote for Rice? Maybe. I'd need to know her stances on all the issues before I make my decision. I'd vote for her over McCain, that's for damn sure, but over Allen? Probably not at this point.

[JohnBDay]

It is time for an American Nationalist to run for president, and watch as people flock to his campaign.

I don't think the people are interested in an "American Nationalist," otherwise Pat Buchanan would have gotten the nomination in 1996. Tancredo wouldn't do nearly as well as Buchanan because Buchanan had polished media skills and name recognition.

[Dan from Michigan]

I didn't know he was a senator. I thought he lost when he ran for it. My mistake(and I usually don't make them on this stuff)

(Looked it up - "won't have Nixon to kick around was a governor race")

[oceanview]

Hillary will not be denied the nomination if she wants it.

[mountainfolk]

Makes sense to me. However, I doubt that Rudy can do anything to make himself electable, his personal life history is too messy. McCain will be too old tho that won't be admitted. Since the democrats have floated heart bypass Bill Clinton as a rerun, I would say Cheney shouldn't be ruled out for heart reasons either. A Jeb Bush-Condi Rice ticket sounds good to me, tho I have no idea whether they are compatible and could work together as Condi now does with the Pres. No matter who the Republican candidates are, if something isn't done at the national level about voter fraud, this whole discussion could be academic.

[My GOP]

Yes, but having Hillary as Pres. would ignite the conservatives in Congress. We'd probably actually get more conservative things done. With McCain, loyalty issues would pop up and we'd get just as much, if not more, liberalism than we would under Hillary.


Maybe domestically. But Congress has very little power in foreign policy which is far more important than domestic policy. Do you want Hillary or McCain being the Commander in Chief during the War on Terror?

[Joe Hadenuf]

I wonder how many of the members here who continually whine that Bush isn't conservative enough will pop into this thread and say they want Rice or Giuliani?

Not me. It's my opinion that Bush is anything but a conservative. No credible leader in this great country would *ever* allow this epic invasion of millions into our country to continue. He not only allows it to continue, he is aiding and abetting it by his lack of action and his disastrous plan of amnesty. Some estimates now have 20 million plus in our country illegally. If this doesn't wake up the GOP and this administration, they may as well declare them all dead.

[AVNevis]

"Tom Ridge(pres)/ Mel Martinez(vp) I could back that ticket."

Martinez is ineligible for Vice President.

[Antoninus]

Pretty pathetic list. Of all of them, only Frist and Allen seem like possible winners. The rest are losers who will split the party on a national level. Thus, look for the media to get behind one of them.

[Joe Hadenuf]

The big political change is coming my friend. They've done it to themselves.

[JohnBDay]

by that logic, though, vice presidents would never run for president, would they?

Usually, the Vice President of a second-term President is the obvious front-runner. The last Secretary of State to become President James Monroe, so it's obviously not a stepping stone to the presidency the way being Vice President is. It would be curious as to why Bush would want Rice to be his successor. She has never held elected office, not married and her views on social issues are ambigious.

[smonk]

I pointed out rice's lack of elective experience somewhere upstream in this thread as well. we actually agree on the broader point of her possible candidacy. I just didn't completely understand your point.

[Verginius Rufus]

I don't think Obama will be on the ticket in 2008, but he is constitutionally eligible (born in the US), whereas Martinez is not (born in Cuba).