In case you wondered

I'm still undecided as to who I will support in the Republican primary. Each of the leading contenders has his good qualities, so it's really a tough call. If I had to list 'em in order of personal preference right now, it would go something like this:

1. Fred Thompson
2. John McCain
3. Mitt Romney
4. Rudy Giuliani
5. Mike Huckabee
6. Ron Paul

I left off Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter for the simple reason that their campaigns are going nowhere. It's not that they aren't good guys - it's just time for them to hang it up.

Ron Paul makes the list only because I like him and I think that he contributes a great deal to the campaign. He keeps the other candidates on their toes and provides a unique perspective on issues that wouldn't get much attention were he to drop out of the race. His message of limited government, federalism, and economic liberty has also attracted the interest (and the dollars) of quite a few libertarian-leaning voters who might otherwise look towards a third party candidate - or even worse, a Democrat. These folks should naturally find themselves aligned with the Republican Party, at least in presidential elections. Why run them off?

As for the other guys - my top five - I'll talk more about them later.