Quin, no crow need be ingested on my behalf. I do
think overall the declared candidates have done more "substance"
earlier in the race than in past years and there is no shortage of
commitments, policies, plans and proposals to paw through. I
always wonder how much weight even the informed primary voter
places on these and how much is based on a more generic sense of
the person, their record and their capabilities. For my money, in a
post-George Bush election, competence and executive experience
carry a lot of weight.
Phil, you hit the nail on the head. Since Romney and McCain
(yes, he's still in the race) put so much stock in the early
states, a win or two by Giuliani could seal the race. It's an odd
situation where the race's overall frontrunner would be the
underdog and an upset winner in the early races but that is how
things are shaping up.
I'll be leaving today for a couple of weeks on the Left Coast
but will continue to blog from time to time and try to report back
on what Arnold is up to and whether the California GOP is on the
rise.