Fred Thompson (3 of 3 on Iraq, 1 of 2 on immigration, 1 of 2 on health care, 2 of 4 on other topics; overall, 7 of 11)Not a close match in the bunch. I like Thompson and Giuliani on Iraq (stay the course); Paul is right about health care (it's a matter for markets, not government); and the rest is a mixed bag. The best combination of the three candidates' positions matches mine on only 8 of 11 issues. It's not a field of dreams.
Rudy Giuliani (3 of 3 on Iraq, 0 of 2 on immigration, 1 of 2 on health care, 2 of 4 on other topics; overall, 6 of 11)
Ron Paul (0 of 3 on Iraq, 1 of 2 on immigration, 2 of 2 on health care, 2 of 4 on other topics; overall, 5 of 11)
Moreover, none of the three seems destined to head the GOP ticket at the rate things are going. Which means that the likely nominee (e.g., Romney or Huckabee) will hold positions even further from mine.
Of course, it could be a lot worse: Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, or Barack Obama, for example.
The Republican field (as usual) is simply the lesser of two evils, which is why I vote GOP -- when I bother to vote. (No, I don't waste my vote on the Libertarian Party.)
At this point, I'm thinking of staying home on election day 2008. The GOP candidate is almost certain to win Texas without my help.
(Thanks to Bookworm for the tip.)
