Petraeus 2012? GOP Mulls New Candidates

Establishment, Tea Party, libertarians all negative in different ways

(NEWSER) - With the Republican Party so divided, it's no surprise that its response to President Obama's State of the Union address would also be divided, notes the Washington Post . In addition to an official response by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and a Tea Party response by Herman Cain, Mitt Romney and the other GOP candidates also weighed in:

• Cain's rebuttal focused on familiar Tea Party complaints—"Obamacare," "class warfare," and the "liberal media." Cain also addressed old sexual harassment allegations against him, noting that the "false attacks" derailed his campaign, but that accusations against Newt Gingrich failed because "the American people are waking up to dirty, gutter politics,” he said. “The American voters are saying, ‘We ain’t stupid.’"

Voters don't want Barack, but they really don't want these guys: Bret Stephens

(NEWSER) - President Obama is going to win the election in November, and the Republicans only have themselves to thank. "That's what happens when you run with losers," notes Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal . Forget Obama's wealth of policy troubles: "It doesn't matter that Americans are generally eager to send Mr. Obama packing." Voters simply want to be "reasonably sure" they won't get "another fiasco." But with this Republican lineup, "they can't be reasonably sure." More»

Character flaws make former speaker the wrong choice for GOP

(NEWSER) - The Republican Party has reached an "uncharacteristic degree of unity" and is capable of taking control of the White House and both houses of Congress next year—but it could blow it all if it nominates Newt Gingrich, warns the National Review . An editorial in the influential conservative magazine makes the case against Gingrich, urging the GOP to "reject a hasty marriage" to the frontrunner and choose Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, or Rick Santorum instead. More»

He could be spoiler as an independent: George Will

(NEWSER) - Ron Paul, who continues to poll well in several early voting states in the Republican primaries, is refusing to rule out a possible independent run for the presidency should he lose the GOP nomination. (“I’m not thinking about it because, look, I’m not doing badly right now," he says.) And with President Obama looking so beatable in next year's election, an independent run by Paul "might guarantee" the president's re-election, writes George Will in the Washington Post . More»

But stands by decision not to run, says daughters needed privacy

(NEWSER) - Mitch Daniels thinks his chances of unseating President Obama would have been pretty good, had he decided to enter the 2012 race: "Yeah, I think so," he replied when asked if he could have won. "I mean no one can know.” But he emphasized that his decision to stay on the sidelines was based on family concerns, reports Politico. “We've got young women, three of them that have been married not too long,” Daniels said. “They're looking forward to building lives, starting families, and this was just a—a disruption that—that they were very, very leery of. And who wouldn't understand that?” More»