For this round are (in no particular order): Herman Cain, John Bolton, Thaddeus McCotter, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Gary Johnson, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and John Huntsman

Changes from round three:

1. I’ve removed anyone who isn’t already declared candidate or at least hinted that he or she many get into the race.

The results from round three are here.

From the Wall Street Journal:

None of the 16,892 votes filed at Iowa State University in Ames will count toward the Republican nomination, but the straw poll is likely to separate the top contenders for the nomination from candidates unable to muster the organization or the passion to make a final charge.

Mrs. Bachmann garnered 4,823 votes. Mr. Paul was close behind with 4,671.

Mr. Pawlenty received 2,293 votes after pouring money and time into organizing for the contest.

Rick Santorum was fourth followed by Herman Cain.  Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who just announced his candidacy this afternoon received 718 write-in votes (3.6%) and finish ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Here’s the final numbers:

1. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (4823, 28.55%)
2. Congressman Ron Paul (4671, 27.65%)
3. Governor Tim Pawlenty (2293, 13.57%)
4. Senator Rick Santorum (1657, 9.81%)
5. Herman Cain (1456, 8.62%)
6. Governor Rick Perry (718, 3.62%) write-in
7. Governor Mitt Romney (567, 3.36%)
8. Speaker Newt Gingrich (385, 2.28%)
9. Governor Jon Huntsman (69, 0.41%)
10. Congressman Thad McCotter (35, 0.21%)

Ouch, I love it!

It’s about time Republican candidates started calling the sound bite media on the carpet for wasting everyone’s with time trivial, tabloid gotcha questions instead of asking substantial policy questions. Newt was absolutely right to go after Chris Wallace the way he did tonight… and judging by the crowds reaction they agreed with the former Speaker.

H/T: Jim Hoft.

There’s no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate. And what I can tell you is that when I did things that were wrong, I wasn’t trapped in situation ethics, I was doing things that were wrong, and yet, I was doing them. I found that I felt compelled to seek God’s forgiveness. Not God’s understanding, but God’s forgiveness. I do believe in a forgiving God. And I think most people, deep down in their hearts hope there’s a forgiving God.

Somebody once said that when we’re young, we seek justice, but as we get older, we seek mercy. There’s something to that, I think. I feel that I’m now 67 I’m a grandfather. I have two wonderful grandchildren. I have two wonderful daughters and two great sons-in-law. Callista and I have a great marriage. I think that I’ve learned an immense amount.

And I do feel, in that sense, that God has given me, has blessed me with an opportunity as a person. Forget about all this political stuff. As a person, I’ve had the opportunity to have a wonderful life, to find myself now, truly enjoying the depths of my life in ways that I never dreamed it was possible to have a life that was that nice.

It’s a fascinating and frightening glimpse in to the mind of the man… At the same time he is admitting that he did wrong, he’s trying to justify his behavior by aggrandizing himself, which is why I’m convinced he should not run for president.

Morality aside, from a political perspective if this is the best argument he can make as why voters should separate his personal indiscretions from his performance in office he’s doomed.

The candidates in this round are (in no particular order): Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, John Kasich, John Huntsman, John Bolton, Jeb Bush, Liz Cheney, Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Ron Paul.

Changes from round two:

1. I’ve added Jeb Bush, Liz Cheney, Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Ron Paul to the ballot.
2. I’ve removed John Thune and Mike Pence from the ballot since they’ve made it clear they’re not running.
3. I’ve removed the option of voting for “Other” from ballot, you still have the option of voting “Undecided” though.

The results from round two are here.

• Greenspan Says Government ‘Activism’ Hampering U.S. Recovery – Bloomberg News
• Connecticut bill seeks to unconstitutionally restrict political and religious speech by employers – Washington Examiner
• ATF Let Hundreds of U.S. Weapons Fall into Hands of Suspected Mexican Gunrunners – Center For Public Integrity
• ATF Orders Immediate Review of Gun-Running Operation – Center For Public Integrity
• Agent: I was ordered to let U.S. guns into Mexico – CBS News
• 4 Dems join GOP fight to block EPA climate rules – Associated Press
• Democrats keep misleading on claimed budget ‘cuts’ – Washington Post
• Immigration Wars: More States Looking at Arizona-Style Laws – ABC News
• Border Agents Forced to Face Down Bullets With Bean Bags, Critics Say – Fox News
• Records show agents fired beanbags in fatal border gunfight – Arizona Daily Star
• Just 32% See Democrats’ Agenda As Mainstream – Rasmussen Reports
• Some Democrats joining GOP in fight against union privilege – Washington Examiner
• Wisconsin governor issues letters on possible layoffs to unions – CNN
• Eric Holder: Black Panther case focus demeans ‘my people’ – Josh Gerstein, Politico
• American Bar Association Executive Council Vows to Fight Anti-Sharia Law Measures – CNSNews.com
• Lowering U.S. Corporate Tax Rate to 10 Percent Will Create Jobs, Spur Economic Growth, Study Says – CNSNews.com
• Public Workers Join the New Reality – Froma Harrop, Creators.com
• Busting the Birth-Control Myth – Kirsten Powers, The Daily Beast
• Judge blocks bail bond bid by church and Rangel for ‘preppy gun moll’ – New York Post
• Rep. Rangel Causes Stir In Courtroom, Gets Reprimanded By Judge – CBS New York
• Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and the spotlight-chasing candidates of 2012 – George Will, Washington Post
• George Will Rips Gingrich, Huckabee and Malzberg – Noel Sheppard, Newsbusters.com
• The Weekend Interview with Paul Johnson: Why America Will Stay on Top – Brian Carney, The Wall Street Journal

Feel free to add you own links in comments.

The candidates are (in not particular order): Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, John Thune, Mitch Daniels, Bobby Jindal, Mike Pence, Rick Perry, John Kasich, John Huntsman and John Bolton.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal are both rising stars but I think they’re still a little “green” to be viable challengers in 2012. I don’t know enough about John Huntsman to make an informed judgment… That leaves Texas Gov. Rick Perry… He has proven record and most importantly he’s not on any of the media short lists.

Where Edwards loses me is here:

The Republican Party that is in such disrepute today is not the party of Reagan. It is the party of Rush Limbaugh, of Ann Coulter, of Newt Gingrich, of George W. Bush, of Karl Rove. It is not a conservative party, it is a party built on the blind and narrow pursuit of power.

Not too long ago, conservatives were thought of as the locus of creative thought. Conservative think tanks (full disclosure: I was one of the three founding trustees of the Heritage Foundation) were thought of as cutting-edge, offering conservative solutions to national problems. By the 2008 elections, the very idea of ideas had been rejected. One who listened to Barry Goldwater’s speeches in the mid-’60s, or to Reagan’s in the ’80s, might have been struck by their philosophical tone, their proposed (even if hotly contested) reformulation of the proper relationship between state and citizen. Last year’s presidential campaign, on the other hand, saw the emergence of a Republican Party that was anti-intellectual, nativist, populist (in populism’s worst sense) and prepared to send Joe the Plumber to Washington to manage the nation’s public affairs.

The problems faced by the Republican party aren’t the fault of Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter or the grass roots of the party. Conservatism is alive and well on main street, where its failed is in Washington… The party’s leadership and of its political consultants have abandoned the principles and ideas that made Ronald Reagan successful and replaced them with a brand of populist, politically expedient “republicanism” that has more in common with the Democratic party than it does with conservatism.

If  republicans are going to have any chance in 2012 or in the 2010 mid-terms the party leadership has rediscover core its core conservative principles and begin crafting policy ideas rooted in those principles.

H/T:  Hot Air.

Other McCain has a slightly different take.

It looks like the race for RNC Chair has tightened a little more.

I mentioned a few days ago that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s bid for appeared to be losing steam and now comes word that Fred Thompson is dropping out of the race in favor of a return to acting.

Putting aside the fact that I don’t think Thompson was ever really in the race that leaves Michael Steele as the only prominent Republican/conservative still in the running. Not everyone is crazy about him but I don’t think he would be a bad choice.

Unfortunately, I don’t think RNC members will choose Steele… I suspect they’ll choose a new chairman from within their own ranks… If media reports are right the top contenders among RNC members are:

• Robert M. “Mike” Duncan, 57, the current RNC chairman
• Katon Dawson, 52, the South Carolina GOP chairman
• Saul Anuzis, 49, the hyperactive Michigan GOP chairman
• Tina Benkiser, 46, Texas GOP chairman
• Jim Greer, 46, Florida GOP chairman
• Chuck Yob, 71, an RNC member from Michigan who is reportedly retiring from the committee.

Tina Benkiser is the only one of that group who is even mildly interesting to me… I’ll admit I don’t know much about her but at first glance she seems to have solid conservative credentials and she would bring young fresh face a Republican party that is viewed in many quarters as old and out of touch.