Governor Haley Barbour said on Sunday that he could not "just say flatly
no" about a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. But
he stressed that both he and his wife would be greatly "surprised" if he
ultimately chose to throw his hat in the ring.

Speaking to CBS's "Face the Nation," the Mississippi Republican left
just enough of a window open on the presidential front to fuel
speculation that he might mount a bid.

"I don't have any plan to. I don't have any intention to," he told Bob
Schieffer. "I'm not going to give any thought to running for anything
until after the 2010 election. I'd be very surprised if I ended up
running for president, but I can't just say flatly no. But I would be
very surprised. My wife would be even more surprised."

Barbour, who has taken over the chair of the Republican Governor's
Association after Gov. Mark Sanford's resignation from that post, has
been increasingly discussed as a GOP hopeful for 2012. And with other
potential nominees suffering either from political or ethical miscues,
his name has been bandied about even more in recent weeks.

The Mississippi Republican's resume of fiscal and social conservatism
would seem naturally appealing to the GOP base. That said, Democrats who
are already looking towards the next presidential election say they
would love a Barbour candidacy. Not only is he another white, aging
politician from the South, but he's a long-time Republican hand with
connections to some of the GOP's most nefarious figures, including Jack
Abramoff and George W. Bush.

On NBC's "Meet the Press," another potential GOP candidate, former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, dismissed questions about mounting
another run at the White House in 2012. "That is way behind my horizon
at this point, thinking about 2012," he said.

From Huffington Post


An aging, white Republican pol from Mississsippi...yeah, that's just the
top of ticket dude the GOP needs to win in 2012. Maybe he can team up
with Sarah Palin.