El ranking de Cillizza (WaPo)

Chris Cillizza (Washington Post) ha hecho su primer ranking para la nominación republicana a partir de conversaciones mantenidas con varios estrategas republicanos:

(...) 1. Mitt Romney: Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, spent the entire 2008 cycle trying to win over skeptics with a be-everywhere-do-everything, Energizer Bunny sort of approach to the presidential race. His style in advance of the 2012 race has been strikingly different; Romney has picked his issues -- economic ones, mostly -- carefully and avoided wading into every fight with President Obama or intraparty squabble. The goal seems clear: to make Romney look like the adult in the room. And, to date, it's worked well -- establishing him as a candidate of serious purposes who won't be distracted by the shiny objects thrown in front of him. Romney also has, by far, the most intricate and able political and financial organization in the race -- a machine that can instantly be turned on whenever he decides to announce for president. Challenges remain, most notably explaining to Republican primary voters why the healthcare bill he passed in Massachusetts is different from what Congress passed earlier this year.

2. Sarah Palin: There is no one more difficult to fit into the Line than the former Alaska governor and 2008 presidential nominee. On the one hand, she is the only real rock-star level candidate on the Republican side -- the sort of politician who could draw huge crowds in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina without much effort. She is also the face of the tea party movement, a movement that demonstrated its ability to upset the establishment apple cart during a series of Senate primaries over the last year. And yet, Palin has a skeleton organization (at best) and seems to operate from personal pique as often as from genuine political calculation. If Palin does decide to run -- and we tend to think, based on her public pronouncements, she is leaning that way -- she would be a (and maybe the) prime mover in the race.

3. Tim Pawlenty: Tpaw had, by any account, a very solid 2010 cycle -- touring the country in support of Republican candidates while putting together the sort of fundraising and staff operations necessary to run for president. Pawlenty was, literally, everywhere over the past year -- making regular stops in Iowa and New Hampshire even as many of his rivals for the nomination shied away from doing so. That sort of head start is exactly what the governor of Minnesota needed as he is, without question, the least well known of the top tier 2012 candidates. It remains to be seen whether Pawlenty can perform when the national spotlight shines on him -- as it will soon enough -- but his spade work over the last two years has put him into place as a serious contender.

4. Haley Barbour: Barbour proved his political skills -- yet again -- as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in the 2010 cycle. The Mississippi governor turned the RGA into the fundraising flagship within the party and helped recapture key swing states likes Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania for the party. Combine that performance with Barbour's affable nature and popularity with Republican activists and he has a shot at the nomination -- although it remains to be seen how large a liability his resume (southern governor, ex-lobbyist) will be.

5. John Thune: The South Dakota Senator is the buzz candidate of the moment among the Washington chattering class. (Make sure to read Steve Hayes' terrific Thune profile in the Weekly Standard.) Thune looks like a president, has surrounded himself with a top-tier consulting team and is sitting on more than $7 million that could be used to jumpstart as presidential race. Questions linger over how badly Thune wants to run (and "want to" makes a big difference in a presidential primary fight) and whether he could overcome his vote for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) back in 2008.

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