Mitch Daniels is out

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a soft-spoken man with strong economic credentials whom many had seen as one of the more formidable opponents President Obama could have had next year, has become the latest Republican to opt out of the race.

Daniels may well have wanted to spare his wife, who divorced him and married another man before divorcing her second husband after four years and re-marrying Daniels, the embarrassment over the episode which no doubt would have been the inevitable consequence of a presidential race.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, businessman Donald Trump, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, General David Petraeus, Florida Senator-Elect Marco Rubio, South Dakota Senator John Thune, businessman Do and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have opted out of the race. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin,  former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachman,  former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, former Utah Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, businessman Herman Cain, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, gay rights activist Fred Karger, flight attandent Tom Miller, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, businessman Vern Wuensche,  and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham are either in the race, or reportedly still considering a run.

Graham, Romney, and Pawlenty are on my personal short list right now. I also want to know more about Huntsman, whom I think might be the strongest candidate- but about whom I have serious reservations.