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The 2008 Presidency Race
I am starting this a bit early as my original post to TR was "Why I am voting got George W. Bush". In 2008, President George W. Bush will be prohibited from seeking a third term. In the three most recent eight-year administrations (Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton), the incumbent Vice President has subsequently run for President. However, incumbent Vice President **** Cheney announced in 2001 that he would never run for President, a statement he reiterated in 2004. While appearing on Fox News Sunday, Cheney stated: "I will say just as hard as I possibly know how to say... 'If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve,' or, not only 'No,' but '****, no'. I've got my plans laid out. I'm going to serve this President for the next four years and then I'm out of here." There is some speculation that VP Cheney may retire as Vice President after the 2006 midterm elections. If this were to happen, his successor would likely become the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2008.
Assuming Cheney serves his full term and does not run, the 2008 race will be the first time since 1928 that neither the sitting President nor the sitting Vice President has run for President. (Note that while the 1952 general election between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson also did not include a sitting President or Vice President, sitting Vice President Alben Barkley had unsuccessfully campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination, and President Harry Truman stood for the Democratic nomination in the New Hampshire primary.)
Should Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice receive the Republican Party's nomination in 2008, it would revive a practice that was the norm in the first fifty years of United States history. In early tradition, the Secretary of State post was the stepping stone to the Presidency. Many Commanders in Chief of the late 18th and early 19th centuries served as Secretary of State before being elected President, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, and James Buchanan. The Secretary of State post remains the primary Cabinet-level office to succeed the Chief Executive in the presidential line of succession. Secretary Rice has denied any desire to seek the presidency, though she is the current frontrunner in some public opinion polls.
The Republican Candidates who have officially announced their candidacy are:
John H. Cox of Illinois
Michael Charles Smith of Oregon
Republican Candidates who have formed exploratory committees or have expressed serious interest:
Senator George Allen of Virginia
Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas
Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York City
Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska
Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas
Senator John McCain of Arizona
Governor George Pataki of New York
Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts
Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado
The Democrat Candidates who have officially announced their candidacy are:
Senator Joe Biden of Delaware
Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut
Former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska
Democrat Candidates who have formed exploratory committees or have expressed serious interest:
Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana
Retired General Wesley Clark of Arkansas
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York
Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina
Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts
Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico
Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa
Former Governor Mark Warner of Virginia
So I would like to hear your comments before I divulge who I support for the Presidency.