I believe he’s 9/10ths of the way in. We’ll know practically for sure in about 12-14 months.

I don’t know that the title here exactly matches the claim in the linked entry:

...if [Barbour] decides to make the run.  And don’t bet that he will not.

I don’t think Haley’s in.  Remember that he broke his no-tax pledge, twice.  That’s a serious heresy in the Republican primary game.  Opponents will mention it three times in every sentence.  If he were planning a run, he wouldn’t have asked for that kind of trouble.

This piece notes that in the 1980 presidential race, Barbour was Southern coordinator for ex-Texas Gov. John Connally, who was a close ally of Lyndon Johnson’s and later Nixon’s treasury secretary.  Connally backed President Gerald Ford over Ronald Reagan in 1976, when Reagan narrowly lost the nomination.

Connally skipped the 1980 Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.  With Strom Thurmond’s support, he made his first stand in SC, where Reagan pulverized him (Giuliani in 2008 would have done well to study Connally’s ‘80 strategy).  Connally wound up with a total of ONE delegate, after spending $14 or $15 million.

Barbour seems to have a “thing” for Texas politicians, as he attended a presidential exploratory meeting for George W. Bush in Texas in January, 1999.

If the governor is indeed planning to run for president, it will probably be a good idea for him not to reduce the sentences of any more murderers.

Good to remember some of the critical past.  Thanks for the recall some of us have forgotten.  Can’t see Haley or any other Southerner being high on the GOP ticket come 2011-12.  Campaigns are like engagements....the candidate only sees and hears what they want to see and hear and none of the downside is ever considered a possibility.  Most important is the campaign manager....Where is the next Lee Atwater when we most need them? We saw how miserable a campaign can be run with McCain’s sorry effort with a lousy campaign manager and staff.  Haley’s acumen would best be utilized as head of the GOP instead of being a candidate.  We haven’t had a strong leader there since he left!  And the slings and arrows of his pitfalls(see unpopular decisions set to haunt him) would less likely hinder his message as a non-candidate.

One Southerner who definitely won’t run for president will be Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.  The presidential campaign will start in 2011, and Jindal will be running for re-election that fall.  He’ll also be pressed to pledge to serve his full four-year term if he wins.  I see him as a VP possibility.

I don’t know if he has the presidential bug or not, but Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina would be a very attractive candidate.