My apologies to the staff and members of the SDMB and to the OP as well; I quite forgot in which forum I was posting.
Current odds on an Internet gambling site I have been known to look at for information purposes only.
Hillary Clinton 1-1
Rudy Giuliani 5-2
John McCain 5-1
Al Gore 5-1
Barack Obama 6-1
John Edwards 8-1
People who froth at the mouth at the mention of the name Clinton are (1) probably not going to vote for any democrat in the general election, and (2) not going to respond enthusiasticly to the names “McCain” or “Giuliani” . Therefore, the “froth-at-the-mouth” crowd will likely just stay home on election day.
Or, better still, run a third-party candidate. Such as Pat Buchanan. Go, Pat, go! 
I gotta comment on this.
No sane Republican presidential candidate would accept an appointment to Vice President. Bush is political poison.
Cheney isn’t going to quit unless his health incapacitates him. And a timeserver with no further aspirations will be appointed to fill out his term. Although perhaps someone with a long view might think taking the VP slot now might give them a leg up in 2012 or 2016, after 4/8 years of an Obama adminstration.
I honestly can’t see any of the Republican field winning against a decent Democratic candidate, except Hillary. Future Historians would spit on us for a presidential election list of Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush, Clinton. That’s 24 years of Bush/Clinton! It’s a freaking nightmare!
Except the Bushes (especially W) are the polar opposites of the Clintons.
My favorite dark horse candidate is Eliot Spitzer, current Governor of New York. I dont honestly see him throwing his hat into the ring and challenging the senator from his own state. But it is still a long time before the primaries. Who knows what can happen. I think right now he prefers Albany over DC though.
I am keeping an eye on his health-care reform plan, and if it pays off, could pay some dividends down the road. And if it fails, it could hurt the entire party. Health care is going to be the major domestic issue, with immigration a close second, both of which Mr. Spitzer will play a major part in how they are addressed. How Democrats handle those issues at the state level will be a major factor in earning credibility to handle them at the federal level.
If a Spitzer/Obama campaign materialized, I’d definitely pound the pavement for 'em.
In regards to Fred Thompson, CQ has a good summary of his voting record. Article. Accompanying PDF chart.
I like him personally, but I dont like his votes for the balanced budget amendment or to open up the ANWR to oil drilling. But those wont be a problem for his party.
Thanks for the links. Thompson does not look terrbile.
Jim
I generally vote for either Cat 3 Republicans (sometimes Cat 1 as I do believe small government is a good thing most of the time, especially locally) or Cat 2 Democrats; I almost never vote any sort of party line.
I think the country is ready for a non-white male president, but not for a ticket devoid of white males. IMHO, the Democrats will win with a ticket with either Obama or Clinton on it, but not both.
My prediction: Edwards/Obama vs Thompson/Romney with Edwards just squeaking in.
Agree, but for a different reason. It doesn’t make sense for a one-term senator Prez candidate to choose another person with a similar background for a VP running mate. So neither Obama or Hillary will choose the other (or Edwards) for VP. Only one of those three will be on the Dem ticket for 2008.
Not sure if a straight minority (err, woman aren’t really a minority, but you get what I’m talking about) ticket would be a problem. I think Hillary or Obama would do well to pick Richardson since he has executive and foreign policy experience and appeal to western states, but you may be right that they would be worried about a black/woman/mexican ticket freaking out too many voters.
I think Hillary has a bigger problem with her uterus than Barack Obama has with his nappy hair.
This is a country where a boxer named Muhammad Ali became a celebrity, a sports hero, a legend, a symbol of masculinity. Where young white guys want to dress black, talk black, act black, be black, & this is acknowledged by some as the fountainhead of rock culture & hip-hop culture.
Obama is a sex god. Hillary is a Frau. I think people want an attractive MAN as president, period.
That said. I would like to see Dodd or Biden as President. (I think Bill Richardson would be a grand Secretary of State but a somewhat obnoxious President, & the Obama/Edwards/Hillary thing is still too “new! young! fresh! now with cocoa butter!” for me.)
Are you sure? I thought Constitution in Russia only allowed for two terms. 
Well, that’s changeable:
The head of Russia’s upper house of parliament, speaking after re-election to the post, declared Friday that the country’s constitution should be revised to allow President Vladimir V. Putin to serve a third consecutive term.
As to the OP, my hat’s now in the ring: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8618794