Dark Horse GOP Prez candidates for 2012/2016-The Well ain't totally dry, but close.

FrenchieCat

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Sat Dec-05-09 07:58 PM
Original message

Dark Horse GOP Prez candidates for 2012/2016-The Well ain't totally dry, but close.

Edited on Sat Dec-05-09 08:18 PM by FrenchieCat

#1 Sen. John Thune, South Dakota

Tall, young (1961), and slender

Married for 25 years (1984), both his wife and he are committed Evangelical Christians.
They have two daughters, Brittany and Larissa.

Thune graduated with a B.A. degree in Business from Biola University, an Evangelical Christian college near Los Angeles in 1983. Thune received an MBA from the University of South Dakota in 1984.

Worked in Reagan Administration in the Small Business Administration
Thune was appointed Railroad Director of South Dakota by Governor George S. Mickelson and served from 1991-1993. Between 1993 and 1996, he worked as a member of the South Dakota Municipal League.
In 1996, Thune was elected to South Dakota's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives; he won reelection in 1998 and in 2000 was reelected with over 70% of the vote. Thune supported term limits and promised to serve no more than three terms in the House.

Keeping his pledge, Thune instead ran for the United States Senate, challenging Senator Tim Johnson in 2002, and losing by 524 votes (0.15%).

Between 2002-2004 Thune worked as a lobbyist for the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad.

In 2004, he again ran for the Senate, this time challenging incumbent Tom Daschle, at the time the United States Senate Minority Leader and leader of the Senate Democrats.

The race was the most expensive Senate race in 2004, with $30 million spent, and the most expensive in South Dakota history.

Soon after arriving in the Senate, Thune wrote language into a transportation bill expanding the pot of federal loan money for small railroads, enabling his former client to apply for $2.5 billion in government financing for its project.<9>

As a U.S. Senator, Thune also took a leading role in formulating energy policy. He pushed for the final passage of a comprehensive energy bill, which finally overcame a series of Democratic filibusters and passed the Senate in 2005. Thune helped pass another energy bill in late 2007. Thune is a particular advocate of ethanol and wind energy, which are linked to South Dakota's high levels of corn production and its windy prairies. Thune's hometown of Murdo is considered one of the windiest towns in the nation.

Thune also sponsored an amendment (No. 1618) to a troop support bill (S. 1390) in the Senate in July, 2009 that would have created a federal law allowing concealed carry weapons owners to enjoy interstate reciprocity of this right. Despite the support of prominent blue dog Democrats in the senate, the bill was defeated narrowly (58-40).

MY Take: He's attractive (to some), smart, soft spoken, and well heeled. He isn't perceived as an extremist, but is not moderate (The American Conservative Union gave Senator Thune a rating of "100" in 2006). Before the selection of Sarah Palin, Thune was mentioned as a possible Vice Presidential pick for Republican Presumptive Nominee John McCain in some circles due to his strong Conservative policies. Thune publicly played down the speculation.

He has been mentioned as a possible prospect for a presidential run in 2012

For the Republican, considering everything, he's as good as they will find.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thune#Early_life_and_family

#2 - Rep. Mike Pence, Indiana 6th District

Prematurely Grey, young (1959), and relatively attractive

He attended Columbus North High School and graduated from Hanover College with a B.A. and the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis with a J.D.. After completing his education he was a practicing attorney and radio talk show host, based out of then WRCR-FM (now WIFE-FM), Rushville, Indiana (which means he knows how to run his mouth).

He served as President of Indiana Policy Review. He and his wife Karen have three children.

Pence ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1988 and 1990, losing to longtime Democratic incumbent Phil Sharp. By 2000, however, it seemed the district had become much friendlier to Republicans, and Pence was handily elected after six-year incumbent David McIntosh opted to run for governor of Indiana.

His first term in Congress began in January 2001. The 6th District comprises all or portions of 19 counties in eastern Indiana, and was numbered as the 2nd District during his first term in Congress. He has been reelected four more times. In the 2006 House elections, he defeated Democrat Barry Welsh. He was listed as one of the top ten legislators by Esquire magazine in 2008.

He currently serves as Chairman of the House Republican Conference (caucus) for the 111th United States Congress: After defeating Rev. Barry Welsh in the 2008 House election, Pence was elected by the House to become the Republican Conference Chairman, the third highest Republican leadership position. He ran unopposed and was elected unanimously. He is the first Representative from Indiana to hold a House leadership position since 1981.

He is also a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus. and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force Against Anti-Semitism.

Mike Pence was mentioned as a possible candidate for President in 2008. However, he did not run for President. In June 2009, an MSNBC political blog listed him as one of a dozen or so possible Republican candidates for President in 2012. That month, the Des Moines Register reported that he planned to visit the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area in late July.

MY Take: He's attractive (to some), not so smart but well heeled. He isn't perceived as an extremist, although he is.

He has been mentioned as a possible prospect for a presidential run in 2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence#Early_life_and_family

#3 - General David Howell Petraeus
(may make a better Vice Presidential Pick)

born November 7, 1952) is the 10th and current Commander, U.S. Central Command. Petraeus previously served as Commanding General, Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) from January 26, 2007 to September 16, 2008.<1> As Commander of MNF-I, Petraeus oversaw all coalition forces in Iraq. Petraeus was the General George C. Marshall Award winner as the top graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College�class of 1983. He subsequently earned a M.P.A. degree (1985) and a Ph.D. degree (1987) in International Relations from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He later served as Assistant Professor of International Relations at the U.S. Military Academy and also completed a fellowship at Georgetown University. He has a BS from the U.S. Military Academy�class of 1974�from which he graduated as a distinguished cadet (top 5% of his class).

In 2009, he received the American Legion's Distinguished Service Medal, the Atlantic Council's Military Leadership Award, the Union League Club of Philadelphia's Abraham Lincoln Award, the National Father's Day Committee's Father of the Year Award, National Committee on American Foreign Policy's George F. Kennan Award, the National Defense Industrial Association's Eisenhower Award, the Office of Strategic Service's William Donovan Award, the No Greater Sacrifice Freedom Award, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Distinguished Citizen Award. He was also named as one of the "75 Best People in the World" in the October 2009 issue of Esquire.

a poll conducted by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines selected Petraeus as one of the world's top 100 public intellectuals. Also, the Business Executives for National Security awarded Petraeus their 2008 Eisenhower Award. Also in 2008, the Static Line Association named Petraeus as its 2008 Man of the Year, and Der Spiegel named him "America's most respected soldier." As 2008 came to a close, GQ (December 2008) named Petraeus as the "Leader of the Year: Right Man, Right Time",
Newsweek named him the 16th most powerful person in the world in its December 20, 2008 edition, and Prospect magazine named him the "Public Intellectual of the Year". In 2007, Time named Petraeus one of the 100 most influential leaders and revolutionaries of the year as well as one of its four runners up for Time Person of the Year. He was also named the second most influential American conservative by The Daily Telegraph as well as The Daily Telegraph's 2007 Man of the Year. In 2005, Petraeus was selected as one of America's top leaders by US News and World Report.

General Petraeus was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in February 2009 and underwent two months of successful radiation treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The diagnosis and treatment was not publicly disclosed until October 2009 because Petraeus and his family regarded his illness as a personal matter that did not interfere with the performance of his duties.

Some news reports have speculated that Petraeus may have interest in running for the presidency. Despite these accounts, Petraeus has categorically asserted that he has no political ambitions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Petraeus

NOTE: I could not locate any woman who could be seen as a serious Republican candidate for the Presidency at this time.