If you had to choose one of these shady characters to be president which one would it be? Remember it isn't which one should your party nominate or which one is most likely to be elected.

Where's the "other" option? I see no libertarians or anyone who leans that way up there.

I vote null

Howard Dean! . He still thinks we went into Iraq unilaterally! I chose G. W. Give him 4 more years, and he could become the best president we've had in a while.

CP

I agree with ConservPat. Bush has handled the war on terrorism brilliantly & uncovered book cookers in corporate America that probabl yhave been cooking since the last year of the Clinton era.

Yes he may have had bad luck with the economy but it is starting to show recovery, slow but steady. He also may be lax on environmental issues but he is right onthe fact that we need a law passed to clear away dead brush to keep the fuel for forest fires down

I would have voted for Bill Frist but he seems to be a freshman when it comes to politics but he would be good when it comes to medical issues

Frist was my second choice too. He seems like a younger Bush . Good things are going to come from him.

CP

John Kerry and John McCain on a unity ticket in 2004. Or McCain/Kerry. I really don't care.

The best man for the job would be Colin Powell.

Give Frist a little credit, he's a doctor, that took hard work. I said Howard Dean because he isn't a corporate puppet. If I had to choose a republican it would be Guiliani because he did a lot for New York City.

I agree. I like Walter Williams better, but I'd vote for Powell above most other candidates. I also like McCain.

I don't like the options. As noted, there's nobody libertarian or even leaning that way. But out of that list, I went for Frist who if I can't have a libertarian is at least a very solid conservative and seems to be a good Senate leader, much better than Lott was, and pretty congenial too. Guiliani second on the basis of his proven ability as a leader. I'd say Dubya third choice then McCain, with all others listed unacceptable.

Powell wasn't listed but was mentioned by others. I don't think he's a good choice though he has all kinds of character and ability and is well liked internationally. The problem is his politics - he's totally middle of the road, which I know some of you moderate types would like but I don't. He'd be a safe enough caretaker though, Jerry Ford style.

Of unlisted current elected officials my choice is Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a real libertarian, or Rep. Jennifer Dunn (R-WA), a very capable libertarian leaning conservative. From the private sector I'd pick Prof. Walter E. Williams or T.J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor. I like Condi Rice but have no idea where she stands on anything other than foreign policy, so until I do I'll pass.

If I had to pick the next President it would be Walter Williams, Milton is getting a bit old, and Walter's race would be an asset.

I went with a null vote on this one: my contender didn't appear in the list. So far, I'm backing Bob Graham, perhaps the only Democrat currently in office who has a bit of backbone. And possibly the only candidate with a reasonable chance of beating Bush (at this stage, anyway). He's honest, most of his positions are fairly sound (if not all that progressive), he has a good track record, he is a man of principle and character, he is deeply committed to his constituents, he's from the South - and the Republicans are terrified of him. Sadly, I doubt he'll get the nomination, but if the Democrats don't at least make him the Vice Presidential candidate, I will no longer have any faith in them as a party.

If he had a chance in Hades, I might also consider backing Walter Williams - but, to me, the 2004 election is all about getting Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Wolfowitz, and Perle as far away from the reigns of poser as possible. Williams couldn't possibly do it. I can't believe so many people are mentioning Colin Powell, though. Izdaari mentioned that "he has all kinds of character". She forgot to mention that almost all of it is bad.

If I had to go with someone on the list (bearing in mind that my definition of "best" is "able to get rid of Team Bush"), I'd have to go with John McCain. How about a McCain/Nader ticket!

I'm hearing some chatter from higher up Greens that Ralph Nader won't be running this time around. I voted for him anyway.