I see a lot of talk around here about who the Dems are gonna run in 2008, but I think it's important to survey who the Republicans might be running as well. In the tradition of "keep your friends close, but your enemy closer", I thought I'd do a little research into who the Republicans might run against us in 2008. Here are the most popular:

Rudy Giuliani

Giuliani seems to be the favorite on most polls I saw. Maybe it's just some of his fame from being the Mayor of New York on Sept. 11th. lingering. After leaving the Mayors office he stated that he had no interest in politics for a while, if ever. We'll see if four more years will be long enough. I kind of liked the guy until he turned out and campaigned hard for Bush.

John McCain

McCain might be too old to run in 2008, but he's already got a lot of household name status. I actually favored McCain in the 2000 primaries over Bush...what a shocker. I favored him because I thought despite the fact that he's a Republican, he seemed to have integrity. He of course disproved my theory last year when he was out kissing Bush's ass.

Jeb Bush

There are people out there who would support another 4-8 years with a Bush in the White House. I don't know how likely this is, as Jeb has already stated that he doesn't wanna go for the highest office in the land.

Bill Frist

He's probably the most qualified for the job, but not a lot of average people know who he is. He has announced that he will not seek his Senate re-election in 2006, so we'll see.

Mitt Romney

Just what we need in the White House, a Mormon Bishop...enough said. Romney might not be very likely as his approval rating as Governor of Massachusetts is dropping fast and he's still in his first term.

Newt Gingrich

Yes, Bill Clinton's old arch nemesis is thinking about running in 2008. He has recently published a book criticizing Bush's tactics in Iraq. He's going to do a book tour which he will also use as a means to see how likely a presidential nomination is based on his reception.

a match up I'd like to see: Hillary Clinton vs. Newt Gingrich

i found this article in the LA Times and i thought it was interesting. i had heard somewhere before the Franklin D. Roosevelt was one of the presidents that George W. Bush looks up to...how ironic.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-outlook31jan31,1,4741916.column?coll=la-headlin es-nation&ctrack=3&cset=true

Poll Sees Divide Between Bush's Goal & Voters' Priorities

A new Associated Press has shown that despite President Bush's victory last week, the majority of voters disagree with major portions of Bush's priorities for the next four years. The vast majority said Bush should cut the country's enormous deficit rather than slash taxes. The majority also said they back the nomination of Supreme Court judges who would preserve abortion rights. And more than a quarter of the voters polled said Iraq should be the country's top priority. Only 2 percent said reforming the country's tax code was a top priority. For the past week backers of the Bush administration have attempted to describe last week's election as a major victory for Bush that gave the president a political mandate. In fact, it was one of the closest presidential races of the past century. The election would have turned if only 70,000 Bush supporters in Ohio had switched to John Kerry. Bush won by 24 electoral votes, the second closest electoral margin since 1916. Only the 2000 race was closer. And while losing, John Kerry received more votes than any previous winning presidential candidate ever has - including Presidents Clinton and Reagan.

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is this Republicans saying "maybe we screwed up"?

I stumbled upon this website on the day of the election looking for exit poll information. ever since then i have visited this site daily. I guess in a way i had been seeking some sort of liberal think tank and I just didn't know it.

I have come to find that the people who run and use this site display some of the most intelligent and informative political information and opinions I think I've ever seen. I think I've learned more politics in the last week from this site than over the last four years. You see, four years ago I cared little of politics...then George W. Bush was made (I'd say elected, but we all know that's not true) president and all of that changed. over the last four years I came to realize that George W. Bush may be the worst president in our nation's history and I couldn't sit idly by anymore.

Like just about everyone on this site, John Kerry's defeat was a disappointment. The days that followed were filled with equal parts anger, frustration and sadness. I feared the road ahead. I wondered what 'moral values' were. I wondered how, as the Daily Mirror in the UK so aptly displayed on their cover, 59 million people could be so dumb.

I realize that John Kerry's demise did not rest solely on the votes of a misguided majority or the evil doings of a terrible president.  I feel that Kerry failed to connect with many voters and convince them that he did in fact have a plan. As deplorable as Bush may be, he still comes off to many as a likable guy...someone you'd have a beer with. Kerry came off sometimes as an elitist. In middle America, that's about the worst impression you can give.

Don't get me wrong, I believed in Kerry in my heart of hearts...not just because he wasn't Bush, but because I felt he had what it took to lead this nation into a more enlightened age. The average American, however, decided that instead of making the economy better or ending a needless war or making sure everyone has health care, that gays shouldn't have rights. It's a sad day for America.

With all that said, I thank each and every one of you, and I hope that I can give you as much as you give me.

Jared