basso fall in faint.......but who will think of the Palins? Top Republicans are newly optimistic about their chances of challenging Obama in 2012. Top Republicans, inspired by President Barack Obama’s recent drop in popularity, are newly optimistic about their chances of challenging him in 2012 and are focusing on some surprising names. Some major donors and GOP strategists have approached Joe Scarborough, the host of MSNBC’s "Morning Joe,” about a national run, according to party sources. Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas, the Republican nominee in 1996, told POLITICO that he would like to see Army four-star Gen. David Petraeus — the head of the U.S. Central Command, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan — run for president as a latter-day Ike. Some fiscal conservatives, convinced that they’ll never “out-Obama Obama,” are sold on a solid-but-unflashy choice: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) was able to generate some early buzz — and news coverage — simply by telegraphing plans for a quick trip to Iowa later this year. Then there is freshman Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor who cut a high profile as an opponent of the Obama administration’s auto industry strategy and keynoted the South Carolina GOP’s annual dinner in May. “Several GOP candidates are coming to the view that the way to run against Obama is not to out-Obama Obama with flash or sizzle,” said Dan Senor, an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Bush administration veteran. “They want to go in the opposite direction: smart, back-to-basics, competence.” It’s a fool’s errand to appraise whether any of these candidates — or the half-dozen other top-tier GOP possibilities — stand a chance in 2012. And top GOP strategists say they recognize that history gives them little chance of unseating Obama if the economy improves noticeably. Still, there’s been an unmistakable surge in the behind-the-scenes chatter as Obama's poll numbers continue to fall — and it reflects a party that is at least contemplating an out of-the-box approach to 2012. As much as anything, it’s an expansive search for more options than there are at present, one that could yield a candidate as unorthodox as Scarborough, the youthful former congressman-turned-cable-TV-personality, or as staid as Daniels, the former Office of Management and Budget director nicknamed “The Blade” for his budget-cutting acumen. The common denominator is that Republican operatives no longer assume — as they did in the opening months of Obama’s presidency — that 2012 will be a fruitless cycle for their party. The comparisons to 1964, a nadir for the GOP, are now being reassessed. Liz Cheney, a State Department official in the Bush administration, said it is "absolutely" possible for a Republican to win the presidency in 2012. "The independents who were so critical will come back to the Republican Party when they realize, as they're coming to realize, that we're the ones that can be trusted both on the economy and on national security," she said. "So the substance is a lot more important than: Is it this person? Is it that person?" One such person floated in a column in The Wall Street Journal is none other than her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney. That's not happening, though it’s sometimes hard to tell with his frequent appearances and sharp political rhetoric. When asked if it’s even plausible, she replied: "I think no. I mean, I'd love for it to. But no." Most of the media attention to date has centered on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2008; Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who was greeted with interest as he courted donors and operatives in New York City this week; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who lost his quest for last year’s nomination to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.); and others who have flirted with runs before but took a pass, notably former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).
Strategically speaking, I actually like the idea of Scarborough. Best compromise you can have between Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin....and an at least marginally intelligent and/or experienced former Federal official. In re-election years, the opposing party should take bigger risks than just nominating the senior statesman (Kerry in '04, Dole '96, Mondull in '84). I think Scarborough and Obama have different enough conversational styles that a debate between them would be worth watching. And if Petraeus, of all people, then why not Tommy Franks?
The far right will not allow a common sense person to be nominated. Romney seemed like a decent person till he sold his soul to the social concervatives. Nixon would be too liberal for them.
Ha! She will somehow become relevant again when 2012 rolls around. Maybe she will do an interview from Russia.
All I can find about Lori Klausutis was that she fainted and the back of her head hit a desk in Joe's office while she was working there late at night, eight years ago. What serious questions about it would he have to answer from the credible, mainstream press?
Well, if there was no foul play then it shouldn't be a big deal. I don't agree with many of his political ideas, but I like him as a tv host. He's reasonable, and that's a rare trait among other republican leaders. He strongly opposes liberals but he's friends with many, and he totally denounces most of the crap that the republican party has done lately.
At the end of the day if the economy recovers, and we get health care reform done .....Obama will be seeing a 2nd term in office, the GOP won't even stand a chance.....which i personally think will be the most likely scenario, and the best case scenario to unfold... PS- I think Jon Stewart should run for office in 2016, with Colbert as his running mate, that would be awesome ... - rocketblaze
That article reeks of bias. I have no problem with the issue being brought up again, but those quotes are messed up and out of context. And as a avid watcher of Dr. G, Medical Examiner, it is absolutely possible for someone to faint, hit their head, and die. I have no problems with questions being raised, but that article is basically presenting the theory that Scarborough killed or had someone kill his aid as the truth.
Petreus was always more about being political and sucking up to Bush and the GOP than saving lives of our guys and gals or Iraqis. It would be a shame to have such a guy as president. Scarborough could not keep his seat in Congress as a right wing ideologue so now he will be VP?
He pretended to be all neutral while clearing his statements and reports with Bush-Cheney. Other generals who would not fudge the data were let go and he was promoted continually. Petreus is getting his reward now. A similar pattern was followed by the politico-general Colin Powell.
The message sort of went down the drain when Sarah got nominated, so hopefully the GOP can completely dump her and actually take that message somewhat seriously.
