"Thats what the George H.W. Bush and John B. Anderson people said about Ronald Reagan in 1980. It's also what the Humphrey and Scoop Jackson people said about Jimmy Carter in '76."
Those are completely different situations. In 1976 we had a struggling Republican President in office. No surprise the Democratic nominee won. In 1980 we had a struggling Democrat President in office. No surprise the Republican nominee won. In 2008 we are going to be having a struggling Republican President in office. Its going to take a special, popular Republican to defeat the Democratic nominee.