I am going to predict right now that the GOP candidate for President in 2008 will be Rudy Giuliani. He is a smart politician, and effective. He will downplay the "culture war" stuff (ie., wax nebulous and make his positions impossible to pin down) and focus on national security and law and order issues. (I am convinced he pragmatically devised most of his positions on guns and abortion in order to get elected Mayor of NYC.)
If Rudy continues to raise money the way he has been and stays true to himself he will emerge as the least polarizing and most electable GOP candidate. He just needs to keep smiling. I can't think of another Republican who is as universally desired for fund-raisers and campaign photo ops by GOP candidates across the nation than Rudy Giuliani. EVERYBODY wants Rudy standing next to them on stage.
Bookmarked.
Mark this down as the date you were totally wrong when people in the future ask you for electoral predictions.
If Rudy continues to raise money the way he has been and stays true to himself he will emerge as the least polarizing and most electable GOP candidate.
Let's see, anti 2A, pro-abort, pro-gay, pro-illegal... I can see how Rudy wouldn't be polarizing. Oh, and there's the matter of how he took up with his current wife while married to the mother of his children to rally the social conservatives who remain unconvinced he's really such a dream candidate.
{He will downplay the "culture war" stuff}
Rudy's secret weapon in wooing social conservatives lies in Rick Santorum. Rudy has raised money and toured the Philly suburbs with Santorum. Regardless of what happens to Santorum, I predict he will continue to live in DC, as a Senator or as a TV talking head for a conservative group.
Should Rudy win the primary, expect Santorum to be campaigning hard for him.