[Bob Seger]

Mike Pence is a Congressman from Indiana. He recently announced that he will not be running in 2012 and it may be getting too late in the process for him to change his mind and have a shot at winning. Paul Ryan, Congressman from Wisconsin is another dark horse that would get my full support. Unfortunately, Congressmen do not have a good track record of winning presidential campaigns.

IMO, Indiana's governor, Mitch Daniels may be the smartest and most effective politician among the likely candidates. I am just not sure if he is telegenic enough to get elected. Daniels may not be conservative enough for some Republicans but we need competency and fiscal conservatism more than somebody who panders to the base. I think that Daniels would make a fantastic president.

I also like Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. I worked as a contractor for a department of the state of Mississippi and I was very pleasantly surprised at how well managed Mississippi's government is compared to my impression of Kentucky's state government. If the federal government were managed like the Indiana or Mississippi state governments, it would be a giant leap forward.

My biggest problem with Huckabee is that he joined Juan McCain in dishonest attacks on Romney in 2008 (about Romney's position on the Iraq War) and stayed in the race late to split the conservative vote in the South after it was obvious that Huckabee was out of contention. I suspect that McCain promised Huckabee a plum job in his administration in exchange for Huckabee running interference for him.

It does not matter who wins the Republican nomination in 2012, he or she will get my vote. I just hope that the next Republican nominee will not require me to hold my nose as I vote, as I did in 2008.

lol........Nice one Hoot!!