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| Rep. Duncan Hunter to run for president |
| 2006-10-31 |
| Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter, the House Armed Services Committee chairman who coauthored legislation to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, announced plans on Monday for a longshot presidential bid in 2008. Hunter, who said support for a strong military and the fight against illegal immigration would be two of his top issues, is the first established Republican to say he would form an exploration committee for a 2008 presidential run. Hunter will join what is expected to be a crowded field of presidential hopefuls in 2008, with about a dozen other Republicans and an equal number of Democrats lining up for runs at their party's nomination. "As I finish my final two years as chairman of the Armed Services Committee and serve you, I am also going to be preparing for a run for president of the United States," Hunter said at a news conference in San Diego. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 'Abu Babaloo' - I agree with you - politically Newt's damaged goods. Which is a shame, as he's brilliant. I like Duncan Hunter, but as another poster pointed out - no name recognition. Which is why you almost never see a House member even make it through the nomination process. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2006-10-31 22:20 |
| #8 I've met him and he is a fervent supporter of our troops, particularly in terms of getting them the latest gear as quickly as possible. He is very willing to upset the apple cart. Unfortunately, there is a reason for the apple cart and turning it over is not always a great idea. But he is certainly a squeaky wheel and focuses on the serious issues that face this country. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2006-10-31 16:22 |
| #7 I'm a rudy fan myself, but Hunter would get my vote as would Bolton. The GOP is bench heavy, the donks nooooo body. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-10-31 14:10 |
| #6 I'd vote for Duncan Hunter tomorrow. He's my current favorite if he's serous. He has to get his name out, no question about that, but a lot of the known names out there have a lot of baggage attached. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-10-31 12:15 |
| #5 Hunter has a wicked slice..but at least the ball goes to the right... |
| Posted by: crazyhorse 2006-10-31 11:43 |
| #4 He might well be a good choice if he can get nominated, but unless you're a political/current affairs junkie (like most of us here at the Burg), you probably don't even know who Rep. Hunter is. It would take one helluva marketing effort to make him a viable national candidate. And SpecOp35, I wouldn't count on seeing Newt as a viable nominee either. I've expounded on this before, both here and other places - but his THREE marriages will make him anathema to Republican women. He served his first wife with divorce papers when she was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery, married the gal he was fooling around with, then recently dumped HER for the proverbial newer model. Dem women might be willing to polish Slick Willie's knob out of gratitude for keeping abortion legal - but Republican women take stuff like Newt's marital life very seriously and very personally. They're not totally dogmatic about this issue - the Gipper didn't suffer because of his divorce from Jane Wyman, which by all accounts was a mutual decision and handled in a civilized manner, at least in public. Rudy Giuliani has a personal life that's as messy as Newt's - three marriages, with the split with #2 being handled in a particularly ugly and public manner. In Rudy's case, however, I think the Republican women would grit their teeth, hold their noses and support him; his conduct of his domestic life would be outweighed in their minds by his near-singlehanded saving of a city that was on its way to becoming an American Calcutta, and his inspiring leadership in the wake of 9/11. Newt's of incalculable value as a theorist and message-crafter, but I predict that's where he stays. |
| Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2006-10-31 10:30 |
| #3 Don't know what his chances are nationally, but I have known Duncan Hunter for 6 years and he is a good man and a smart, effective Congressman. He would make a better president than most of the likely candidates at this point. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-10-31 08:43 |
| #2 You gotta be shittin me!! |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2006-10-31 06:53 |
| #1 Might make a good VP for Newt. Don't think he can get enough support by himself. |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2006-10-31 00:46 |