
One week after the Iowa caucuses, a few days after the extraordinary primary in New Hampshire, and with a short break before the next contests, it seems appropriate�to assess where the candidates are in the race. Lets rank them!Republicans:5. Fred Thompson. Thompson's�chance of winning the nomination�is, barring a miracle,�over. But he retains a crucial role in the race, for two reasons. He keeps socially conservative�supporters (who distrust McCain, Giuliani and Romney) away from Mike Huckabee, which may prove critical in South Carolina. Secondly, when he drops out, he is likely to back John McCain, providing him with a potentially significant ...