02:23 02/23 Presidential Candidate Stack Rank v. 2.3

Even though the latest list is only about a month old, the stack rank is looking stale. The candidates are breaking fast and hard out of the starting gate. Time for an update. No change in the top four spots, which are the ones I actually spend time thinking about. The common thread for the candidates in spots one through four - all were right on the war before the war, publicly and on the record. I've added a brief commentary and links for the top picks, which we will expand upon in future versions.

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DWSUWF 2008 Presidential Candidate
Stack Ranking v. 2.3

1) Chuck Hagel (R) -
Stirring up the Senate on Iraq. Formally announcing in 2 weeks?
2 ) Joe Biden (D) -
Despite verbal faux pas - still the man with the best Iraq plan.
3) Ron Paul (R) -
Arguably the single best House Iraq debate speech.
4) Barack Obama (D) -
Officially in, right on the war, Bear Fan.
5) Rudolf Giuliani (R)
6) Bill Richardson (D)
7) John McCain (R)
8) Hillary Clinton (D)
9) Mitt Romney (R)
10) Wesley Clark (D)

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Another common thread connecting the top four candidates - they are all smart and articulate. Yes I am using that word - I've used it to describe all these candidates before and I am not going to stop using it now. Here is the simple reality - after six years, the electorate is tired of the GWB shtick. By 2008 we will be completely exhausted by it, and will be drawn like a magnet to the opposite pole. Since Bush is not articulate, the next president is. We will need to use that word.

This is not about Biden. This is not about Obama. This is about finding the Anti-Bush. Regardless of party, we will elect the Anti-Bush in 2008. Smart and articulate is the Anti-Bush.

Changes since the last update: Rudy has jumped ahead of John McCain for the number three spot on the red list. Rudy has better libertarian credentials than McCain, who continues to leak principles, and lean further toward more authoritarian positions. If Rudy had not been wrong on the Iraq war, he would likely be my top candidate. He will need to join the reality based community on Iraq to get elected. I dropped Mike Huckabee because, well... because I cannot remember why he was on the list in the first place. He is replaced by Mitt Romney. Make no mistake, I think Romney, like Clinton, is a consummate politician, whose convictions are determined at the intersection of his/her ambition and the most current polls. But since a large majority of the American populace want us out of Iraq, that means they will both make the right decisions on the war should they get elected. Good enough for now.

As a reminder, the DWSUWF stack ranking is a preference not a prediction. This list represents the top ten candidates we would like to see as President, stack ranked in order. Imposed on this list are two constraints: alternating political party affiliation, and a divided government outcome in 2008.

Divided and Balanced.™ Now that is fair.

Technorati tags: divided government, Barack Obama, libertarian, Chuck Hagel, 2008 election, Hillary Clinton, McCain, Iraq,Joe Biden, Democrat, Republican,Rudy Giuliani,Mitt Romney,Ron Paul, It's the war stupid.