It is now official. The most southern sounding of the whole nest of conservative vipers has withdrawn from further presidential aspirations. USA Today reports that he cannot commit 100% to such a race.
I wonder.
I suspect that three, perhaps four things are at play.
First, Barbour is the smartest of the current cast of comic candidates. That automatically rules out 60% of Republican voters as potential supporters.
Second, his drawl approaches speech impediment levels, and seriously impacted his ability to raise campaign funds. He has consistently been reaching for the bottom of the barrel, in terms of money raised.
Third, Given just how batshit crazy his competition is, I suspect that he was afraid that some of that crazy would rub off on him, or that he would be forced to accept some of their crazier ideas, just to compete with the rest of the loons.
Lastly, his numbers have been pathetic. Barbour has the excitement of a T-Paw, the athleticism of Jackie Gleason, and that certain glimmer of excitement that makes Pet Rocks a thing of the past.
The side effect is that the echo chamber of crazy has just gotten even more reichwing. The only sane one, a Mormon named Willard, has to defend his own health care program, and therefore, the Obama plan which mimics his.