Who Do The Republicans need to nominate to win in 2012?

[Padfoot]

I agree with the general sentiment that seems to be prevailing thus far; if there's a measurable economic recovery that your average voters feels, the Republicans will need the second coming of Jesus in order to win.  However if Obama's term is mediocre or downright bad, the Republicans could find success in a candidate who has strong credentials as a fiscal conservative to counter Obama's big spending.

Candidates like Huckabee and Palin may appeal strongly to the base the GOP has built for itself over the past 30-40 years but I doubt they'll have the nationwide appeal or credentials necessary to win.  Palin has proven herself to be completely incapable to such a degree that I think Obama could beat her even under the worst of circumstances.  And Huckabee's record as a "compassionate conservative" doesn't set him up very well to run a campaign of fiscal restraint.

I honestly don't think that any of the current "front runners" will make a significant mark on the 2012 campaign.  By the time the primaries roll around I think we'll be looking at a completely different field.  Some of the current players may still take a stab at it but I don't think any of them will make it past New Hampshire.  My feeling is that a new crop of candidates will have formed by then.  I think the 2010 mid-term is going to have a huge impact on the direction the Republicans take in 2012 so I'm not going to even attempt to speculate on who the GOP's savior might be until after that.