Others here have said that it was because he didn’t like the intrusiveness of the press. I’d suggest that being President would compensate mightily for that.
I’d say he really burned some bridges with that anti-Arnold commercial he made in California.
Ehrlich would be an interesting choice. You’re right that he’s an interesting speaker. Though I think his consistent support for slot machines might well work against him on the national level.
I can see Bill Richardson, Evan Bayh, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards running for the Democrats. I think a Richardson/Bayh ticket is the most electable.
For the Republicans, it’s a little tougher. I think Guiliani will run, as will Frist and perhaps McCain. I think that Frist has the least chance of those three to be nominated…and Santorum is a long shot for VP as well. I think McCain or Guiliani could beat Richardson. I don’t know about the others. This thread will be fun to look at in early 2007…
Bill Bradley will reappear. Richardson VP.
What the key is: the Democratic Party’s realizing that trying to win the center isn’t enough; we’ve got to move the center towards us. This is how the GOP got from 1964 to 2004. And the Dems have realized that that’s their only hope: to state a case for being a Democrat, and win people over to it.
Why Edwards: “Two Americas” was a cogent, concise argument for being a Dem rather than a Pubbie. In the 2008 primaries, that will trump experience. Unless another candidate does him one better in this department, he’s got the only credential that counts.
Richardson for veep.
I’ll be honest: I really can’t scope this one out. The Republicans have a tendency to anoint a frontrunner, who then wins the nomination regardless of the challengers. Who’s going to be the anointed one? Hard to tell. But he’s got to be someone who puts his hat into the ring fairly early, in terms of doing the usual exploratory-committee and fund-raising stuff. You’ve got to play to be anointed; nobody gets drafted anymore.
If Jeb is sincere in his desire to go back to private life after 2006, then we scratch him off. I don’t think Ehrlich will go over all that well with the Religious Right; an opponent will hang a “Gov. SlotMachine” moniker on him, and he’ll lose South Carolina (which seems to have become the key state in determining the GOP nominee). Frist is basically GWB’s sock puppet in the Senate; McCain’s sold his vaunted independence for…for what? Damned if I know.
So my dark-horse pick is the guy on the other side of the Potomac from John Corrado’s choice. Sen. Allen’s been VA governor too, which will help him if he runs. He is regarded as ‘one of us’ by both the religious right and the tax cutters, but he’s also shown the ability to reach well beyond those core constituencies.
Besides, courtesy of his football-coach dad, he’s already got a campaign slogan: “The Future Is Now.”