QotD: The Next Presidency?

Of all the major candidates, Hillary Clinton is the one whose presidency is easiest to visualize in detail. No wonder we feel sick to our stomachs. [. . .]

[Barack Obama]'s the most charismatic politician to seek the presidency since Reagan. But where Reagan's priorities were crystal clear, Obama's are obscured by beautiful, meaningless rhetoric. What is the "audacity of hope," anyway? [. . .]

The only thing connecting [John] Edwards' policy switches has been popularity. He was for war when it was popular, against it after it became unpopular. [. . .]

Of all the Democratic candidates, [Bill] Richardson would be most likely to cut taxes. And after Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), he's the most open to reforming drug laws. If the party really wants to make a play for the "libertarian West," it'll nominate Richardson. [. . .]

If — make that when — [Joe] Biden loses badly, he could start hosting his own talk show. There'd be no need for guests! [. . .]

No one in Washington is sure why [Chris] Dodd is running. No one outside Washington is sure who he is. [. . .]

[On Dennis Kucinich:] It's a matter of how much you might enjoy peace on earth and legal marijuana while your tax rates rise to pre-Reagan levels. [. . .]

[Undeclared candidate Al] Gore today is more liberal than the candidate who almost won in 2000, both for better and for worse. [. . .]

[Rudy] Giuliani might be the most socially liberal figure to make a serious run for the GOP mantle since Nelson Rockefeller. He also might be the most personally authoritarian Republican candidate since Richard Nixon. [. . .]

Like Giuliani, [John] McCain comes to public policy from an authoritarian perspective, not an individualist one. He's good on some issues, but his bias is for the executive to take the reins to ram through change and vanquish his foes. That might not be the ideal philosophy to follow eight years of George Bush. [. . .]

[Mitt] Romney has the most impressive management experience of anyone in the race. Unfortunately, the impressive parts came before he entered politics. [. . .]

[Sam] Brownback represents a different shade of the "compassionate conservatism" championed by George W. Bush. But perhaps not different enough. [. . .]

The vision of "compassionate conservatism" promised by George W. Bush was actually practiced by [Mike] Huckabee, with all the flaws that entailed. He's the GOP candidate who'd probably get along best with a big-spending Democratic Congress. [. . .]

It would be nice to live in a world where Ron Paul could actually win. [. . .]

The ascension of [Tom] Tancredo to the White House might so terrify Mexican migrants that they stop coming across the border altogether. In that circumstance, forced to work on other issues, Tancredo might become a fairly libertarian president. This is an unlikely scenario. [. . .]

[Undeclared candidate Newt] Gingrich is more interested in big ideas and multipoint plans than a coherent philosophy for government. [. . .]

Ron Paul aside, [undeclared candidate Chuck] Hagel's stances make him the strongest candidate some libertarians could dream of — especially those whose chief concern is ending the war. But his only constituency might be the media. [. . .]

If he runs, [at the time undeclared candidate Fred] Thompson will be the most pro-Bush Republican in the race; he narrated Bush’s bio films at the 2004 Republican convention. If you liked the Bush era but wished the president’s voice had a little more bass, Thompson’s the one. [. . .]

Nick Gillespie, David Weigel and Jesse Walker, "Presidential Scouting Reports: A libertarian fan's guide to the World Series of politics", Reason, 2007-06