Count John McCain in for the Presidential 2008 race. Is the GOP willing to do what it takes to get the independent and moderate vote back on their site? Is McCain the guy to do that for them?

“A lot of people look at the Republican Congress and say the problem is they only took half measures of which McCain wanted to do in full measure,” said former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon, who worked on the 2004 campaign.

He said McCain had been a “leader for years” in those areas.

“All the relevant issues in the Congress now — spending reform, ethics reform — are issues that John McCain has been talking about for a long time,” he said.

This will be the first Presidential race in 80 years where no President, or Vice President, is running for election - the playing field is wide open.

Also on the short list (growing longer every day) is Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa.