I never planned to vote for any of them, though I like Gingrich, he's a good talker and big thinker. No, I had wanted Daniels to get in then I flipped to Pawlenty when he didn't and reluctantly embraced Romney afterward, not that I don't like Romney, I do, whereas I didn't like McCain.

I'd vote any of them over Christie, not that I don't like Christie, but the tea leaves right now seem to pointing strongly at Ted Cruz. He's definitely running, I've known that since August of last year and there have been rumblings about it. I would back Paul Ryan, I like him, big thinker, good man, but I don't see him running. I'd like to see a midwestern governor like Kasich, Walker, Snyder, Brandstad or Pence to run but I don't see any of them going for it.

If Christie wants my primary vote, he needs convince me that he actually has a specific, solid political platform, it doesn't have to be hardcore conservative, that's a mostly subjective term anyway, I just need to be sure he's not a bullhorn mounted on a weathervane, and I've got my doubts. They don't really need to convince if they win a primary though, I'd vote for any of them probably regardless of the Dem Nominee, which I do not think will be Biden or Clinton, and a lot of who I'd favor would depend on who picks up that nomination. If it is Hillary, well I don't think she's unassailable but she'd have a big advantage going in, and similarly I don't think Biden would have much of a chance. The whole game is going to get shaken up by 2014 and everything that happens between now and 2016, but I think the Dems are going to have a harder time selecting right now, and we need a nominee who contrasts with theirs. Besides Clinton or Biden the only name I've heard seriously floated is Cuomo, and I don't think he'd be a very strong contender, more than Biden but less than Hillary.

As to Jeb Bush, yeah he'd work for me, smart guy, solidly conservative but not frothing about it like Santorum or Bachmann, I don't think the Bush name will hurt him too much by 2016, but that's hard to say.