The New Republic takes a look at the GOP field of likely presidential candidates now that Mike Huckabee has, at least for the moment, bowed out. Potential winners: Bachmann and Pawlenty. Losers: Mitt Romney.
The candidate who would appear to suffer most from this decision, on the other hand, might well be Huck’s old nemesis, Mitt Romney. After all, a Huckless field not only bolsters the chances of Pawlenty; it also increases the temptation to run for other candidates with the potential to steal support away from Romney, most obviously Mitch Daniels. And ironically, Huck’s absence from Iowa could mess up Romney’s efforts to stay out of the state entirely or at least keep expectations there very low.