DRAFT HALEY BARBOUR
He’s one of few Republicans whose stature benefited from their handling of Hurricane Katrina. The effectiveness of Barbour’s hustle (and his deep Washington connections) is evident to anyone who drives across the Pearl River from the Mississippi Gulf Coast—spiffed up with shiny new commercial ports and open-for-business casinos—into the sad, stagnant desolation of Louisiana. Traveling the country as RGA head, he has bucked up the quavering party, reassuring nervous Republican donors that the GOP’s prospects aren’t nearly as bad as they seem. The donors apparently like what they’re hearing: the RGA starts 2010 with more cash on hand than it spent in all 36 governors’ races in 2006, combined.
America could do far worse than Barbour (I’d love to see him give Obama a haircut) but one warning, he’s a squish on eminent domain.