George Allen would be a great candidate, but the problem is his lengthy (20yr+) voting record. Any of his political opponents would twist and distort such a record to badly hurt him in '08.
In any case, these are the top three candidates who can survive a primary and have a shot at the general in '08. In no particular order, and with comments provided:
- George Allen - former VA governor
pluses - charisma, looks, solid conservative
minus - long voting record
- Bill Owens - CO governor
plus - like Allen, but no voting record
minus - marital issues could hurt him badly
- Mark Sanford - SC governor
plus - ???
minus - not as telegenic as the other two
In addition to being a Governor (not a Senator), the nominee needs to be telegenic and convey an optimistic message. Who best fits this requirement?