Yes, it's roughly 17 months before November 2012, and the GOP field hasn't even been fully named yet, but already one veteran Washington Times political writer is saying it's a bust, we're cooked, it's over, finito.
Joseph Curl says,
Quote( . . . ) Like '96, the field is littered with dim stars: Mr. Gingrich (http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/newt-gingrich/), former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, businessman Herman Cain — plus multitime loser Rep. Ron Paul of TexasAnd, oh yeah — former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who couldn't even defeat a weak Sen. John McCain for the nomination in 2008 and who has a health-care problem the size of Texas (striking, too, how he's also from the same state where another nominee, Democrat John F. Kerry, hailed — and he lost badly to a vulnerable president in 2004).
Despite Rush Limbaugh's "once more into the breach" bravado that Mr. Obama is beatable (which he's said, at last count, 9,647 times), the best candidates have walked. And don't expect Sarah Palin to take one for the team: Her chances are far better in 2016, and any day now, she'll also announce that she's going to sit this one out.
Which means it's 1996 all over again for the Republicans. They'll nominate Mr. Romney — Motto: "Eh, It's His Turn" — and he'll lose in a landslide. And there doesn't look like there's anything — or more importantly, anyone — who can stop it.
Read, "It's hard to win when your motto is It's My Turn."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/22/curl-its-hard-to-win-when-your-motto-is-its-my-tur/ (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/22/curl-its-hard-to-win-when-your-motto-is-its-my-tur/)
For balance, I offer this old cartoon from the Donks' primary....
(https://conservativepoliticalforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages112.fotki.com%2Fv233%2Fphotos%2F1%2F1595431%2F9682680%2Fruinforthewhitehousevi-vi.jpg&hash=9653ae6c1c154b5b4ed52a64dcb34e3da98d25f3)