We have two years of political votes to judge West on. According to National Journal, he was the 110th most conservative Rep in Congress, with an overall 75% rating—though he rated only 51% conservative on the economy. (He was quite a bit higher on foreign affairs and social issues.)
Sure, he’s an imperfect conservative like most Republicans, but there’s also nothing that would commend him to presidency if he weren’t a black Republican.
22 years protecting this country as a military leader counts as ‘nothing` to you? And I’m yet to hear anyone speak as forcefully against the welfare state state that we have become. Who are your potential candidates and how many years have they been in office?