2008 could be tough. Could be.

Fred Barnes offers some thoughts on why the Republicans ought to be worried about 2008.

I think he's right about almost everything, BTW. The thing is, though, that the dynamics of Presidential nominations and elections have changed in the last thirty years or so. The person who gets elected- George W. Bush, who was being highly touted at this point in 1997, and his dad, who was Reagan's obvious successor in 1988, were exceptions- tends to be a dark horse, somebody who comes out of nowhere. Carter did it in 1976. We tend to forget that Reagan was widely perceived, going into the 1980 race, as an extremist with no chance even at the nomination. After his disasterous speech before the 1988 Democratic National Convention, everybody thought Bill Clinton- a longshot at best- had destroyed himself.

My hunch is that the Republican nominee in 2008 will not be Giuliani, or McCain, or Rice, or Jeb Bush, or Allen, or Romney, or any of the other alleged front-runners.

Keep your eyes on Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Gov. Mark Sanford of North Carolina.

Personally, the guy who would be my own number one choice in 2008 is currently playing the D.A. on TV's Law and Order: former Senator Fred Thompson.