At www.race42008.com all of us contributors were asked to give our assesment of the current crops rankings. Here is mine:

#1 Giuliani

Rudy’s first place is solely based on his strong national numbers. My prediction is Rudy won’t stay in first beyond the summer. He will slowly fade. Rudy has some good things going for him 9-11 popularity, a comfortable easy manner and an enduring lisp. Yet recently he has been slipping in state specific polls and has really not done anything to earn his poll numbers other than put his name out. I have no ideas what he thinks, what kind of policy he would wage, etc. I used to be a Rudy supporter, right behind Mitt. Things have changed for me though as I have seen his strong desire to give socons the proverbial bird. I have come to realize he would be a poor choice to lead the party that is the home of social conservatism. Out of all the candidates he is my last choice. Sorry Kavon. J

#2 McCain & Romney - Tied.

McCain and Romney are in a dead heat IMO. They are vying for top spots in NH, MI and with the latest Rounds of Straw Polls, now South Carolina. McCain took a tough dive in the polls over the last couple month, and really had some frankly crappy fundraising numbers. Any other year it would have been a record, which shows an inability on his part to calculate the road ahead, IMO. Yet McCain’s ground game is only matched (and exceeded) by Romney. McCain is not done yet, but it’s 50/50 where he goes.

Romney’s national numbers have been slowly climbing yet it’s in key states where we see what the influence of his efforts yield. In New Hampshire he has made a huge jump, and he is gaining serious ground in South Carolina. I predict Romney will lead the pack again in fundraising come Q2. I will also say he will show strong in Ames if not win it. Romney’s hurdles are two fold: 1) Overcome low name recognition 2) Define himself before bottom-feeding candidates working hand in hand with the MSM do. I am really not in anyway worried about this.

#4 F. Thompson

Thompson has leveled off, fairly quickly. His key areas of support can be found in the state of Tennessee, Georgia, and the fair weather Editors at Redstate. The key question facing Thompson is what in the world has this guy done that has qualified him to even be included here. The guy had an average career in the senate, many believe him to be pro-choice, and he has nothing under his belt policy/executive experience wise. I am really not anticipating anything fantastic out of this guy. Personally I don’t think the nation is desirous to elect another southern drawled common guy, most people want someone who exudes competence. These are the reasons why I say Thompson really won’t go anywhere beyond where he is.

#5 Gingrich

I really wonder if he is running. If he does, it will be a interesting ride.

#6 Brownback

Brownback has some good ideas. He is a good guy, but unfortunately has very little to offer the current crop other than no experience and a cardboard personality. He is conservative, despite his rejection of the surge and a really bad history on immigration. His flat tax idea will appeal to some, but definitely not the majority. I really think he belongs in the category of a niche candidate, and makes the Gary Glenn’s happy. Although I know that even those people doubt he has the juice. I doubt it too. He raised a little over a million bucks, soundly defeating Huckabee and Hunter, but remember that’s a third of what Al Franken’s Senate campaign raised and a little more than 1/20th of what Romney raised. Brownback continues to run a campaign by making their Target audience Romney voters. It’s really no surprise; I was getting anti-Romney emails from Brownback supporters back in May of 06.

#7 T. Thompson

Popular governor here in the state 30 miles north of me. He might do well and end up with a VP or cabinet spot.

#8 Huckabee

Yo, Huck, get off that water tower!! Are you crazy!?!

The rest are all tied.

Gilmore (Going down, nothing more than a side note)
Paul (Will have a small following in some states)
Hunter (Going down after Ames- hope to meet his son there)
Hagel (Going down after Ames)
Tancredo (Going down after Ames)