Dave, I wasn’t saying that that Allen was the clear favorite pre-‘Macaca,’ but I think it’s fair to say he was seen as a top contender (see this March Rich Lowry column). In fact, his Senate race has generated so much controversy precisely because he was seen to be in the running for the presidential nomination. That he even attained that status I found perplexing. So, I’m not arguing against his being an A-level candidate, I was surprised that anybody would consider him even a C-level candidate.
