Wednesday Roundup (GOP)

Here's the first installment of what I hope will be a weekly update, with my impressions, on Presidential candidates and how their relative standing is affected by the events of the week. Ranking is some sort of measure of strength.

1. Mitt Romney: Usually counted among the Big 3, Mitt the Mormon seems to be the only top-tier candidate not getting kicked around in the media. For no other reason than evading being a MSM Pinata, Romney rates this week's #1 spot.
2. John McCain: It's been an upsy-downsy week for McCain. On the one hand, McCain still seems to be on the wrong side of the immigration debate, and though others say it isn't really a make or break or won't be that crucial in 2008, for the time being he and the conservative base don't see eye to eye on what is shaping up to be one of the definitive domestic issues of 2008. Also, in a CNN poll released yesterday, a third of respondants said they definitely wouldn't vote for McCain; his positives (will definitely vote for?) were a lukewarm 12%. Yet on the plus side he continues to dominate media coverage and garner favorable reviews from both sides of the aisle. If the American public is ready for an end to the partisanship characterized by Congressional hammers like Delay and shrews like Pelosi, McCain may benefit immensely.
3. George Allen: Facing a tougher-than-expected November challenge from former Republican Jim Webb (funny how in a highly-touted race only a former Republican can challenge a Republican) and Democratic attempts to further the fallout from his comments that he's bored in the Senate, Allen's looking a little pained. But he's well-funded and well-liked so this should only be a bump in the road. Whether or not he can standout from the pack and whether or not another George can win the White House remains to be seen.
4. Rudy Giuliani: That same poll that had mixed reviews for McCain was pretty good news for Giuliani considering he's been incredibly coy about his intentions. I'm not at all convinced that he can win over the base and succeed in the primaries, but if he were to do so, he'd be incredibly dangerous in the general. Also, I remember reading/hearing somewhere recently that he hosted his first big PAC fundraising dinner in ages - is he up to something? (if you have a source for that let me know!)
5. Bill Frist: Not convinced. He's failed to get the setpieces of his agenda through the Senate, and while some were destined for failure (FMA), others (Death Tax) should have been passable. He'll leave office in January probably with at best a mixed record; whether or not he can change voters' minds in the intervening year (till Iowa) remains to be seen. Also, his cat-killing days might come back to haunt him.

Best of the Rest (in no particular order): Pataki, Rice, Huckabee, Tancredo