Republicans -- and in particular, Conservatives -- do NOT judge a person by the color of skin, nor by gender.  We judge people by their character and their record. 

With that in mind, and with the goal of WINNING the Presidency in mind, I contend that no matter who ends up being our Republican Nominee, Duncan Hunter will be the best choice for Vice President.  Hunter is the only one who can fill in the various gaps in "Conservatism" that each of these candidates has.

The reason it's taking so long to choose our nominee is because each of the top candidates is weak (to very weak) in one or more of these Conservatives Goals and Ideas:

Win the War on Islamic Fascism

Respect the Sanctity of Life, Preserve the Meaning of Marriage, Honor Traditional Values

Defend our Borders and End Illegal Immigration

Lower Taxes and Reduce Government Spending

Promote Individual Responsibility and Allow for Individual Freedom and Prosperity -- follow the Constitution

Duncan Hunter is strong in ALL of these areas! 

Hunter is every bit, if not more so, the "Defense Candidate" that McCain or Giuliani is.  Hunter has been in the Military, has a son in the Military, and has been on the Armed Services Committee for 26 years, and was Chairman till the Dem's won in '06, and is now the ranking Rep. member.  He's intimately versed on Foreign Affairs, understands how to win in Iraq, and even knows just how WELL the prisoners at Gitmo are being treated.  

While not a former Preacher, Hunter is every bit, if not more so, the "Christian Candidate" that Huckabee is.  Hunter has a long history of supporting Life and traditional values.  He has authored multiple bills that support life, marriage, and parental rights.  He's been married to his first wife for more than 25 years and has  no embarrassing personal history to overcome.    He votes against "hate crimes" as he believes "violence against any innocent person is wrong" and that considering some crimes as less serious than others "rebukes common sense" and "is a threat to the tenets of equal protection under the law".  He supports school choice and has a 100% rating with the National Right to Life, as well as other Pro-Life and Pro-Family organizations.

Even those voters who seem unaware that Hunter is running for President can't help but be aware of Hunter's stance against illegal immigration.  He has "built the border fence" that is working in San Diego, and authored the bill that requires the full border fence to be built on the border between the U.S. and Mexico, which Congress is stalling on enacting. Hunter has repeatedly said, he can get that entire fence built within 6 months.  Since all of the top candidates are a bit weak in this area, his being V.P. will give us Border Fence Voters some sense of relief. Hunter might even be able to get the new President to issue the long-overdue pardons to Border Agents Ramos and Campeon. 

Hunter strongly supports the tax cuts and is very pro-business.  He also doesn't want government involved in everyone's health care.  He wants to make insurance more affordable the way all things become more affordable -- by creating and allowing competition. And, as his name would imply, Hunter supports the Constitutional right to bear arms.   

The only way we Republicans can maintain control of the White House is by appealing to ALL segments of our Party.  We cannot afford to COMPLETELY alienate one or two segments. If we are unfortunate enough to end up with McCain or Giuliani or Huckabee as our Nominee, then at least Duncan Hunter will soften the blow and avoid causing some Conservatives to sit this one out. 

And even if Romney or Thompson win the Nominee, they are also each lacking or weak in one or more of the Conservative issues.  Having Duncan Hunter to confirm and fortify their stances will go a long way toward making us feel like we have a solid chance against the Dem's, without having to compromise on our Conservatism.