[InfraRed]

...but even here Giuliani polls favorably, especially head-to-head versus McCain.

...but even here Giuliani polls favorably, especially head-to-head but ONLY versus McCain.

There. Fixed it for ya...

Fred Thompson 65.9% 4,165
Rudy Giuliani 19.3% 1,219

Newt Gingrich 60.5% 3,478
Rudy Giuliani 24.3% 1,395

Duncan Hunter 59.3% 3,058
Rudy Giuliani 28.6% 1,474

[massadvj]

Gingrich and Hunter have ZERO chance of winning a general election in the current environment. Thompson might have a chance, and I am sure he is assessing it right now. With so many primaries early, this thing will be decided before March of 2008. That means Thompson will need $20-40 million and a compelling message, because the best he can do is match Giuliani dollar for dollar.

At the end of the day, he'll find that the $20 million isn't there, just as Newt has found. The country clubbers who finance these things want a winner more than anything else, and they like what they see in Giuliani, who outpolls Hillary as of right now, without spending money. Mark my words. Thompson will flirt with it, but will not get in. Neither will Newt.

As for Freepers, the fact that 20 percent of them will support a candidate who is basically a liberal, shows that at least a fifth have the common sense to recognize political reality. The main purpose of a primary is to pick the winning candidate. If you don't do that, you've failed your party and your political conscience both. With Giuliani, you can fail your political conscience but not the party. Bad set of choices, but the only ones in this day and age.