He is the Dean of the College of Cardinals and has a certain influence. Furthermore, his longevity in having served 3 previous pontiffs as a cardinal adds further gravitas to JPII's former right hand man.
However, he won't be elected. Don't ask me who will be elected but Cardinal Ratzinger is Obi-Wan Kenobi while the new Pope is Skywalker. Forgive the banal and tawdry Hollywood metaphor but he is the wise old warrior, the keeper of JPII's "force", now aged in years but ready to pass on the mantle to whomever is elected to lead the Church forward.
You very well may be right...he's worked hard at setting a tone, to get people to look at it spiritually, to consider being Christian in a world that doesn't want Christianity that much any more...He's led the people to the fountain, it's up to them to drink.
And he could be just the right man.
"WE" do not know.
Luke, I hope you mean, rather than Anakin! And surely not Leia!!!!
Cardinal Dias makes the most sense to me, along with Arinze, Bergoglio, Scola, and Bertone. With usual caveat that that's from a worldly/human perspective.