Sure the election is 22 months away, but that's not stopping the politicians. Anyone have any thoughts on the candidates already in the race (or those who've formed "exploratory committees")?
Dems:
Sen. Chris Dodd (CT)
John Edwards
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH)
Tom Vilsack, former Governor of Iowa
Sen. Joe Biden (DE)
Sen. Barack Obama (IL)
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY)
(Potential candidates who could still enter: Al Gore, John Kerry, Wes Clark, Bill Richardson)
GOP:
Sen. Sam Brownback (KS)
Jim Gilmore, former Governor of Virginia
Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City
Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA)
Sen. John McCain (AZ)
Rep. Ron Paul (TX)
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
Rep. Tom Tancredo (CO)
Tommy Thompson, former Governor of Wisconsin
(Potential candidates who could still enter: Newt Gingrich, Chuck Hagel, Mike Huckabee, George Pataki)
On the Dems side, I like Biden, but after the Kerry debacle they won't again give the nomination to a Senator whose initials aren't "Hillary" and "Clinton." The Obama craze will dissipate soon, and then people will realize he hasn't got much to offer. I could back Edwards, but not with any great enthusiasm. And if it's Hillary, I'll be staying home Election Day.
The Repubs: Giuliani is worthy of consideration, but he can't pass his own party's litmus test on abortion, gays, guns, etc. So he won't be the nominee. The rest are either too far-right (Brownback, Hunter, Tancredo) or not presidential (Romney, McCain or my ex-Governor Huckabee).
2008 election
1This is a snakeskin jacket. And for me it's a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom.