Dan Bartlett, one of President Bush's closest advisors for over a decade, stepped down from his post in July. In a recent appearance at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he gave his frank thoughts on the leading Republican presidential candidates. Read the whole article for some great insight, but here's the short version:
Giuliani
Bartlett: he has the "best message", and has focused on attacking Democrats instead of other Reps, which has helped distract from his weakness on social positions
Romney
Bartlett: he has the "best strategy and organization", but his perceived flip-flopping on some issues will hurt him; also, his Mormonism will hurt him in the South
McCain
Bartlett: he's the "biggest wild card"; he's lean and mean right now, but faces severe money problems; that's what hurt him in 2000 - he won the New Hampshire primary but lacked the funds to run an effective national campaign; that could happen again
Thompson
Bartlett: he's the "biggest dud"; his peak was before he entered the race, and since he got in he has yet to voice a compelling reason to vote for him; that could change, but he hasn't panned out yet
Huckabee
Bartlett: the "best candidate", the most articulate and visionary candidate, articulating issues in a positive way; his problems are that he's from Arkansas (same as Clinton) and his name, "Huckabee"
Bartlett didn't make any predictions, but said that he thought the Republican party was so afraid of losing the White House (after losing Congress) that he thought pragmatism might win the day, which would most likely benefit Giuliani or McCain. Those are the two most perceived as being able to go toe-to-toe with Hillary in a general election.
Interesting stuff, from an insider. It's still early, though, so don't make up your mind yet. Just watch, read, learn, and remember.
There's my two cents.
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