Romney and Obama will face off in November

It is very true that political punditry has the nasty tendency to delve into rampant speculation, often resulting in false and misleading assertions. The media can make or break candidates with a loud whisper.

Despite that, since the News-Letter will not be in print again until after the first primary states cast their votes, I would like to join the chorus of media speculation about the presidential presidencies. Take these predictions with a grain of salt. A lot changes in December - just ask Howard Dean. Still, I'll give it a shot.

Republicans Remain Indecisive

It's now looking like every week the Republicans have a new conservative hope to lead them to the promised land in November. Let me tell you this: Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.), famous for losing weight and hailing from Hope, Ark., is not the guy. The recent polls showing a surge for Huckabee may put the Romney campaign on the edge, but he's going to have to hold that through January.

Huckabee has invested a lot of time in Iowa, but given Gov. Mitt Romney's organizational strength in multiple states, Romney will be able to hold off the second man from Hope. Even if Huckabee were to win in Iowa (and I doubt it), he doesn't have the kind of strength to get the nomination. If that scenario were to play out and Romney's campaign were to fall apart, Rudy Giuliani (N.Y.) would make minced meat of Huckabee.

Romney will win the Republican nomination. One need only look at his strength in various states to recognize his potential. Now, I hate polls, but they can be helpful on occasion to notice trends in public opinion.

Romney will grab hold of the Huck-surge in Iowa on Jan. 3. Later that day he'll make his appeal to Republicans to explain his Mormon faith. He doesn't need to beat Huckabee at the former minister's own (and only) field, but he can try to frame the debate on his faith.

Following a Jan .8 win in New Hampshire, where he has built a commanding lead, Romney will come in second to Giuliani in Michigan (Jan. 15) and Nevada (Jan. 19), remaining in the top tier. The Massachusetts governor has developed a peculiar lead in South Carolina, and if he is able to score a win there along with his placement in Nevada, and a second place win in Florida, he will be well positioned for "Tsunami Tuesday" on Feb. 5, where Giuliani is expected to catch up.

Those social conservatives interested in Huckabee and Thompson will fall back and coalesce around Romney as a visible frontrunner. Given his momentum coming from January, Romney will secure the nomination, but not until later in the year, as Giuliani faces more opposition and media speculation of a floundering campaign.

Hillary Will be a Bust

That's right, neither Sen. Hillary Clinton nor Giuliani will be their parties' nominees come this summer. What is Clinton's weakness? So much of America really doesn't like her (she's pretty much the most unlikable candidate since Nixon in 1969), and many Democrats feel the same way for different reasons. The benefit Clinton has had is that support for her opposition is divided between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John Edwards.

I have a feeling, considering some of the recent praise Edwards has offered to Obama about similarities in liberal positioning and vice-presidential considerations, that one of the two will be dropping out in January or early February.

Given that the Democratic primaries are proportional and that Edwards will come in third in Iowa, where all his resources are focused, I'm thinking Edwards will drop out after losing in South Carolina. This will come true unless the poll numbers from all those poor southerners and Iowans who are saying that they'll vote for the black man or the woman actually end up marking their ballots for the one white man with a chance. I think it's that hope that is keeping Edwards in the race.

So that's my prediction. Romney and Obama will face off in the general election, but I'm not about to chance touching what will happen there.