John Thune

Today, while discussing the Iowa straw polls with a co-worker, I mentioned how shocked I (still) am that John Thune is not running as a Republican candidate for president. For those of you who've never heard of him, Thune is a South Dakota Senator who beat out Tom Daschle for his seat in 2004. He's 50, a former college athlete, an evangelical, and he's authored some doozy gun rights bills. He's only been married once, and his name isn't associated with any sex acts. Also, he looks like this:

When he's trying out his sexy librarian look, he looks like this:

I truly don't understand how it's possible that this man isn't running. Has he really just been sitting in South Dakota, watching his neighbors Bachmann and Pawlenty dance the crazy tango?

I know next to nothing about the strategy of entering and exiting the presidential race. Perhaps it's too late for a guy who's more substance than flash to enter this cycle's ideologically driven Republican primary. However, I just have a feeling that Thune, or someone like him, is being prepped by the Republican establishment to come in and take the race over once the nutters exhaust themselves.

No, I didn't wake up a Republican this morning and no, I'd never vote for this guy. I just think it would be a victory for the whole country if we had two educated candidates bringing conscientious discourse back into presidential politics. Can you imagine if we had two policy wonks going at it in the debates, instead of incendiary, talking-point obsessed bobbleheads? The heads of the Fox News blondies, and Al Sharpton, would explode. Soundbites might have to be a whole 45-seconds due to the nuances being discussed. Perhaps most importantly, people would realize that politics is actually kind of a dry topic, after you take out gay marriage and abortion. The mainstream media would lose advertising dollars due to low interest and... as a result, election night could be free of Will.I.Am holograms.

On the other hand, my liberal-minded amigos remind me that the current field is good news for our bedraggled Obama. And there are few things I want more in life than to see what a lame duck Obama could accomplish. So perhaps I should count my blessings that Crazy Eyes is leading the pack right now. I just don't think it speaks very highly of our country.

Politicos with knowledge of campaign entry strategy - am I way off-base? Is it too late for someone with a lower profile to enter the race? If not, is there someone else you think is going to pop in? Most importantly, who's going to buy me a cookie if I somehow end up being right about this?