Mormons for McCain

The 2008 GOP primaries are going to be entertaining, that's for sure. First we had Evangelicals for Mitt (Romney,who is a Mormon), and now we have Mormons for McCain:

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has joined the growing list of Republican officials supporting Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president in 2008.

Huntsman has agreed to serve as a co-chairman of McCain's Straight Talk America political action committee. He will help coordinate politics and policy for McCain in Western states.

"John McCain's understanding of America's role in the world is unparalleled," said Mike Mower, a spokesman for Huntsman. "His knowledge of the West, leadership and independence are indispensable to our nation's well-being."

Huntsman's support for McCain strikes deep into the political base of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, another of the potential contenders for the Republican nomination.

Huntsman is a member of one of Utah's most prominent Mormon families. His father, billionaire philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr., had been a leading contributor to Romney's Commonwealth PAC and said he would like to see Romney seek the presidency. The younger Huntsman, who was ambassador to Singapore before his election in 2004, is friendly with Romney and had served as an informal adviser to him on foreign policy matters, according to published reports.

The Dem side will be entertaining as well. Any day now I'm expecting to see the website for Terrorists for Any Democrat.

Meanwhile, when voters are asked which candidates they would deem "acceptable", Romney doesn't clear 50% of Republicans, and McCain gets barely 55%. The big winner - Rudy:

A recent Gallup Panel poll asked Republicans and Democrats whether they would find each of several possible contenders for their party's 2008 presidential nomination to be "acceptable" nominees. Unlike other nomination ballot questions that measure respondents' first choice from among a list of possible candidates, this question paints a broader picture of the level of potential support and opposition for each candidate.

Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner among Democrats when voters are asked to choose which one candidate they would prefer for the Democratic nomination for president, but the current poll finds Democrats are about equally likely to rate Clinton, John Edwards, and Al Gore as acceptable nominees. Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain typically vie for the lead in Republican preference polls, but a greater percentage of Republicans say they would find Giuliani acceptable than say this about McCain (73% to 55%). Four in 10 Republicans say they would not find McCain to be an acceptable GOP presidential nominee. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also widely considered by Republicans to be an acceptable nominee.

Although we differ on some social issues, in terms of the kind of leadership you want in a president, I would lean strongly toward Rudy as well. McCain blows whichever way the press blows and frankly would be dangerous in office. I think Romney is a good man and a strong leader, but I doubt he's electable. I like Condi Rice a lot too, and she even outpolled McCain (68%-55%). Her nomination would certainly shake things up, especially if she's up against Hillary. I'd pay good money to see those debates.

Stay tuned.