(Newser)
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Much hay has been made over President Obama’s supposed vulnerability in 2012, Mark Halperin writes, but when you look at his probable challengers and his formidable political skills, his prospects seem positively rosy. Two legit Republican contenders exist at the moment: Mitt Romney “remains unexpectedly unfamiliar” (Halperin says a flight attendant mistook his picture on a book cover for John Edwards), and as for Tim Pawlenty—who’s that?
Add to that Obama’s massive fundraising advantage, Halperin writes in Time, predicting that the president could pull in $1 billion for the general election. He's a proven "fourth-quarter player" with unmatched oratory skills. “The drastic ups and downs of his first year in office and the likely losses his party will suffer in the November midterms have given a distorted view of his muscle for 2012," writes Halperin. His "political health" is "surprisingly robust."
