With the primaries coming up in a couple of months and the election just a year away, the current pool of Republican candidates has me a bit worried.  There isn't really one candidate that has an actual shot that I agree with enough to be comfortable.  America's love affair with the Clinton family may prove to be too overwhelming for the Republicans in the '08 election.  So the question is, who is the future of the Republican party?

History has shown that Republicans elect Presidents that are pretty far to the right, while Democratic presidents tend to be more moderate, at least in principle.  But we could see this change soon, specifically within the
Republican party.  Giuliani looks like he very well might be the front runner for the Republican nomination.  What does this mean for traditional conservatism?  We all know Giuliani's marital past, and his somewhat liberal social views.  So how will conservatives respond to him?  I think it's safe to say that, especially if Hillary Clinton is the democratic candidate, that Giuliani will garner most of the conservative vote.  Many conservatives, especially the religious right, aren't too happy with Giuliani, but he might be the best bet for keeping the White House in the hands of the Republican party.

Mitt Romney is a closer match for traditional conservatism.  However, two issues keep coming up in relation to his candidacy:  his faith and his stance change on issues.  I, for one, don't care that he's Mormon.  I don't think it would interfere with his ability to run the country.  I personally believe he is more presidential than Rudy, and he certainly lines up with traditional conservatism more.  But will the right tolerate the fact that he's a Mormon?  We'll find out, but only if he can end up defeating Rudy in the primaries.

There are some other good candidates, like Huckabee, that sadly have no chance of getting elected.  Ron Paul is in line with a lot of conservatives, except for his views on the war.  And Fred Thompson just seems to consistently offer a lackluster effort.  The Democrats are looking pretty stable right now with Hillary Clinton, so it will indeed be interesting to see how the Republican party can answer.