We will be mighty sick of the few national names being bandied about over the next 2+ years, from both parties.
Hillary won't even declare until after the '06. Allot can happen before then. Two years of 'if', 'when', 'what if', will get very old.
The same about Dr. Rice. And Guilini. And Kerry. And McCain. And Edwards. And Hagel.
If Hillary does get the '08 nod, she will have positioned herself to be more conservative than any in the previous paragraph. That is her win-win. Her party would have no where else to go, except their anointed one; and many right-wing conservatives don't see any RINOs as significantly viable alternatives.
Who else, so far, has come out against illegal immigration? You think that wasn't Hillary plan--to force the rest of the field (both parties) into uncomfortable or untenable positions. She will do similar on more issues in the coming months. Kerry and the Dems won't have the luxury of taking all sided on every issue; and neither will the Republicans. Hillary is already pushing the defense issue, too. That will marginalize the Deaniac and Hollywood wing--but where else are they going to go?
Yeh, Hillary is playing a cunning and determined game---against those in her own party, and the potential Republican contenders for '08.
If this plays out, Hillary will put John Kerry to shame (if that's possible). She will have managed the flip-flop of an entire party. This strategy can't win, however. Even Howard Dean won't be able to produce voter turnout in the face of such overwhelming cognitive dissonance.