We Have the Candidates...and We're Off!

So the race has officially been set: Obama v. McCain for all the marbles. It should be an exciting race; I've seen first-hand the excitement that Obama can generate among the masses (as with this picture that I took at his rally at American University in Washington in January),

and I've had the chance to listen to McCain in a one-on-one setting (as when he taped my former boss' television show, when this picture was taken).

So who's it going to be? Just over five months separate us from the answer -- and what a ride it will be getting there.

Draft Fred Thompson!

In recent days, there's been a lot of attention given to a potential run for the White House by former senator and current faux-New York district attorney Fred Thompson. Honestly, I'm thrilled by the prospect, and I hope he does jump into the race. It would be a great and much-needed change of pace for a party that in recent years has drifted from saying what it means and meaning what it says to saying what sounds good.

I did some checking on the web and right off the bat found two websites that have been set up to convince him to run. The one I'm most impressed with is Fred '08 -- sound clips, information on the committee that's been set up to draft him, information on his conservative credentials, and a great deal more. I've signed up for updates, and look forward to following this grassroots effort in the days and weeks ahead.

Thompson is honestly the one guy who could get me excited about the GOP field again: I like Huckabee, but he won't make it far; I like Rudy, but I'm concerned all of the baggage he brings with him and how it will detract from some of his successes as mayor of New York; McCain, while someone I respect because of what he has been through in his life, strikes me as a loose cannon; Gingrich is also a strong conservative, but he's also got baggage, and I have a hard time forgetting things like his public complaint over having to disembark Air Force One through the back door; Romney is impressive, but I'm not sure he can win a national race against a top Democrat contender.

If Thompson jumps in, he's my guy.