What are the chances the GOP must start with a clean slate? No Palin and No McCain?

[democrat2thecore]

If Palin is forced off the ticket (likely) that will create a crisis in judgment for the nominee who picked her. What do you think the chances are that McCain AND Palin will be pushed off the ticket that comes out of St. Paul? "Health reasons"...etc.

They would do much better with a Romney-Huckabee ticket. IMO.

Honestly, it's not that far-fetched at this point. This is an absolute catastrophe for them.

[lisa58]

1. They only have a few days to decide

[anigbrowl]

2. 10%. This is the best Labor day weekend I've had in the last 8 years. .nt

[mirrera]

3. If I were a smart GOP operative I would run- Hagel and Olympia Snow...

Good bye evangelicals... good bye obvious neocons...
just sayin...

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. Hagel won't do it

I think he supports Obama...

:-)

[C_U_L8R]

4. This fish is rotting from the head down

McCain made a really sucky decision

[MadMaddie]

5. Then there is the money issue isn't there?

Ummm...I only hope it gets worse for them...just sayin...

[stopbush]

6. Palin will withdraw, Jindal will be the new choice.

McCain is a fast-sinking ship. A floor fight would be great. Fred Thompson/Colin Powell!

[LeftyMom]

7. It's too late now.

It would be too obvious, and there's no time to broker a deal between the various factions before the end of the convention.

[opihimoimoi]

11. Its CURTAINS...all over but the shouting...The GOP must purge them NeoCons and PNACers

to save what little Face they got left

[stopbush]

13. You're right. They will try to drag Obama down into the muck

so they can start the 2012 campaign on January 20.

The Rs have written off this year. They need to rebuild their Party from the ground up. That will take decades.

[democrat2thecore]

14. Except that there's a thing called, "cutting your losses,"

I'm not suggesting the delegates themselves work it out. I'm guessing Republican elected officials, RNC members and big donors could go to McCain and say, "This is NOT going to work."

Cutting the losses and starting over could be the best thing they could do.

[LeftyMom]

15. But they'll all want to give thier guy, whoever that is, a leg up.

If they have to pick a new guy now, at the last minute, it'll be a feeding frenzy.

[JeanGrey]

9. ZERO.

[democrat2thecore]

17. Nahhh...at least 1 in 4 -nt

[BurtWorm]

10. They're not going to get rid of McCain.

They'll write off 2008 before they do that. I wish they'd write it off now so we don't have to go through the charade of the election season.

[helderheid]

12. The thought has occurred to me as well!

[Fenris]

16. They'll have a clean slate in 2012.

Truth be told, the party insiders are likely assuming that they are going to eat it this November. Four years gives them enough time to try to retake some lost Congressional power and come up with a better candidate for 2012. By then McCain will be way too old and Palin should have a small army of children to take care of, so maybe they can rebuild their party with a fresh face or an old (but not that old) hand. McCain won't survive this race politically; he'll take his place in the chamber but the defeat is going to destroy any accrued power within the party. Palin might simply be forgotten altogether after her term ends (if she makes it that long).