We have a lot of potentially great candidates who have the same marketing appeal as Rudy, yet w/ better values. Just because they aren't making the news like the Hillary/Obama ticket doesn't mean we are desperate.
The challenge is for us not to eat each other alive before we even get to the primaries.
We are beggers when we start begging other candidates like Fred Thompson and Newt to join the race. That gives true conservatives like Duncan Hunter NO Chance whatsoever.
For those of us just tuning in, we became beggars after 2006, when it became clear that the undecided voters are giving up on Iraq, and the GOP establishment in general. Without a doubt, we cannot, period, full stop, end of sentance, win in 2008 without a candidate that appeals to the center. There are some years when we can run a solid cultural conservative. Right now, after 8 years of nice guy President Bush and the endless Iraq mess, the voters want something different.
It doesn't take a crystal ball to realize that Romney or Hunter is going to get plowed under by Hillary or Obama in a general election. Either we deliver them something different from the normal GOP fare, like Condi Rice or Rudy Guiliani, or we eat a Bob Dole style defeat. The voters want change. Either we give them moderate change, or they'll take extreme change.
FR is not the outside world. The George Allens and Rick Santorums of the world just aren't what the swing voters are interested in right now. Either we get that through our heads, or we get used to being the minority party.