RealClearPolitics caught up with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley at the 2011 National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington.

RCP: The 29 Republican governors are developing a group identity as vocal budget cutters, especially after the recent election. Can you describe the group identity of the Democratic governors, and where that is headed?

O'Malley: All of us are focused on jobs, opportunity and making the tough choices necessary to move our states ahead of this recession.

There's two dynamics going on in the other camp - actually there are several.

One is the run-up to their presidential nomination. They don't have a presidential candidate; we do. So the jockeying and the personalities get very much elevated on their side. The other dynamic they have is the sort of union-bashing detour that some of their governors chose to take at a time when people want us to be bringing people together to figure out how we can drive innovation, how we can create jobs, how we can be winners in global trade, and not losers.

We can't really control what they do or what they don't do, but we can, as a group, stay focused on job No. 1, which is creating jobs and moving our economy forward, and that's what we've done. And we're doing it as a group much better than they ever have this weekend.

This is the first time we ever met in advance of the NGA weekend rather than playing catch-up at the end of it. And I think you'll see from this DGA a continued focus on job creation, the economy, partnering with CEOs to figure out how we can harness innovation. And that's really the common intersection with Democratic governors and business leaders in our country, is the belief that innovation is the key.

RCP: Who are the Democratic governors to watch?

O'Malley: I think among the new ones [John] Hickenlooper in Colorado is a very entrepreneurial, non-ideological, pragmatic former mayor who speaks with clarity, believes in delivering results and managing for results.

And I think in that same vein, Dannel Malloy, the new governor of Connecticut, is managing for results, sort of CEO-type of executive. He's not ideological -- he's pragmatic, and that's the way he was in the Conference of Mayors when I worked with him there.

[Peter] Shumlin, in Vermont, who has a business background, speaks with clarity as a business owner, a CEO.

I think those are a few of our new ones who I think are good people to watch.

[North Carolina Gov.] Beverly Perdue, and her leadership of the Southern Governors Association and their focus on innovation, and her state and the transformation that it is going through with her leadership in harnessing life science and biotech and innovation to transform a Southern state economy and diversify.

I think all of those are very capable solid leaders. I mean, none of them have this stand-up routine that [New Jersey Gov.] Chris Christie pulls off. Christie has the best stand-up routine in the RGA, but I think most people, when they vote for governor, are hoping for a man or woman that will bring people together to create jobs and move their state ahead of the recession.

RCP: Who are some of your favorite Democratic gubernatorial candidates to watch in the next two years?

O'Malley: We have four races this year, and then 11 races in '12.

Jack Markell is a real good executive; he's up that year. He was our immediate past chair. He's up in Delaware.

Bev Perdue, our vice chair, is up that year.

Brian Schweizter's retiring in Montana - all of the recruitment process is still under way in all of these. Just as the political landscape changed pretty dramatically from two years, I think it will be just as dramatically changed two years from now.

And I do think it's a time when all of the old, traditional ways of looking at the world might not apply. In other words, if candidates emerge in either party who can articulate a concept for winning this ill-economy, for making it ours, and can articulate that in a compelling way and with principle and with conviction and with a compelling story, I think that any race is potentially up for grabs, regardless of party

RCP: Who do you see on the Democratic Party's national bench for several years down the road?

O'Malley: We have a lot of great leaders in the Democratic Party, and I think that these next two years now that the recovery and reinvestment dollars aren't there will be a time when voters are going to be able to see very clearly whether their governors can govern, whether their governors can balance budgets and move their states forward. And a lot of these men and women aren't going to be able to do it.

You've seen it play out in so many ways. It's hard to make your government work and manage it properly, if you believe your government's the enemy and your government's the problem.

Some of these antique FDR haters just aren't going to serve their states very well now that the recovery dollars are no longer there to support important state functions, and I think it's going to lay bare a lot of these sort of stand-up comic routines that have been masquerading as good governance.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is preparing to announce in a matter of days whether he will form an exploratory committee for a presidential campaign.

Earlier this month, Gingrich told Fox News that he would decide about a White House run by early March.

A Gingrich adviser told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday that the former Georgia congressman would announce the formation of an exploratory committee in his home state within ten days, and the Associated Press reported that Gingrich would take "a formal step" toward a step toward a presidential run within two weeks.

Gingrich has for months been making frequent visits to early voting states, and Republican officials in Iowa said that the former speaker has been second only to former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the extent of his behind-the-scenes maneuvering in the first caucus state.

During a trip last week to Florida, Gingrich publicly affirmed his support for the current early voting state structure.

"I think it is very important to recognize that Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina hold the first three slots and I think that is the right thing to do because of their size," Gingrich said before adding that Florida would have to negotiate with the RNC if it wanted to go fourth.

Gingrich aides would not confirm that he was set to announce his candidacy but pointed to his previous comments about the timing of an announcement, which they indicated was still on track.

Gingrich appears poised to become the second prospective Republican candidate to announce an exploratory committee after former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain did so in January.

With his long record of government service and reputation for having a vigorous intellect and penchant for finding controversy, Gingrich carries with him perhaps the more obvious strengths and weaknesses of anyone in the prospective field of candidates.

Advisors to Gingrich have indicated that the former speaker would direct his campaign strategy to try to attract support from a broad coalition of Republican voters in a prospective field that is likely to be crowded with candidates hailing from various wings of the party.

In a Gallup poll of Republicans and Republican leaning independents released last week, Gingrich stood in fourth place among prospective GOP candidates with 9 percent of the vote.

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell on Friday cited state ethics laws in stopping short of endorsing a potential presidential campaign by his predecessor, former Gov. Sarah Palin.

But Parnell had nothing but kind words for the woman under whom he served as lieutenant governor for two-and-a-half years.

"You're going to get me in ethical trouble because in my state, I can't speak to political races," Parnell said during a Q and A session with reporters at the National Press Club in Washington. "I can certainly tell you that I think Gov. Palin is qualified to serve and can do that if she so choses, but for me to make any kind of political statement, I am ethically obligated not to."

Parnell was in Washington to attend the National Governors Association's winter meeting and to meet with members of the Alaska congressional delegation and with Obama administration officials.

The Republican governor's National Press Club speech was designed to promote increased domestic oil exploration and production-a goal that he said was increasingly important to American economic and national security interests, in light of the recent uprisings in the Middle East.

Parnell is working with supporters in the Alaska state legislature to amend the tax structure for companies that drill for the oil that funds almost 90 percent of the state's budget.

The 2007 increase in taxes on oil companies, which Palin helped push through the legislature, was a signature achievement that she touted during her 2008 vice presidential run. But Parnell said that the tax increase had hampered the state's ability to compete economically.

"I believe that Alaska needs to make itself more competitive, so to do that, we are working to lower taxes," Parnell said.

The Alaska legislature has been holding hearings on the proposal for three weeks and the state House has been taking amendments on a bill to change the tax infrastructure.

"My hope is that a state House committee will be able to move that bill to the state Senate and we can create a more competitive environment in Alaska," Parnell said.

Parnell said that he has not been in touch with Palin to discuss the proposed changes to the current tax regime, which she would likely be compelled to defend if she were to run for president.

Asked about a former Palin aide's accusations in a proposed book manuscript that Palin had illegally coordinated with the Republican Governor's Association during her 2006 gubernatorial run, Parnell-who was Palin's running mate at the time-said that while he remembered the television advertisement in question, he did not recall being present when it was filmed.

"No, I mean, I read the news story, and I never saw that myself, so I couldn't offer a grounded opinion on it," he said.

As Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels navigates what appears to be an increasingly treacherous political minefield as he contemplates a presidential run, it may be instructive to view how he's handled himself in past political situations.

Right after the 1986 midterm elections, when the GOP lost eight Senate seats on his watch as political director of the Reagan White House - and Republicans were staring down what appeared to be a tough 1988 presidential election - Daniels plunked himself down in front of veteran Washington journalists Rowland Evans Jr. and Bob Novak for an interview on the duo's CNN show. He easily swatted down a series of questions about the party's political positioning in light of the midterms and the fallout from the Iran-Contra scandal, earning him glowing praise from Evans.

This week, Daniels has steeled himself against a media and rightwing onslaught for dropping right to work legislation in Indiana and choosing not to send state troopers after Democratic lawmakers who fled the Hoosier State to avoid voting on the legislation. Forced to clarify comments that were misconstrued by some media outlets on Tuesday, Daniels has held a press conference every day this week and is holding national interviews to make his position clear.

In the same way, Daniels came out swinging in his Jan. 4, 1987, appearance on CNN's "Evans and Novak," to such an extent that Evans sought out Anthony Dolan, who served President Reagan as chief speechwriter for his entire presidency, and urged him to view Daniels' appearance.

The reason, Dolan said, was what Evans told him: "It was one of the finest performances by a political operative they had ever seen, particularly one that he and Bob Novak were deliberately trying to trap or embarrass."

In introducing Daniels on the program, Novak mentioned the scandal and the GOP's heavy losses and said, "Nobody has been closer to the situation than Mitch Daniels, an architect of President Reagan's activist campaign to try to save the Senate last year."

A calm and unflinching Daniels handled the pair's questions about the GOP's positioning ahead of the 1988 election by noting that the Republican Party had a built-in advantage with an Electoral College that tilted in favor of the party.

"I don't see a Democrat, an individual potential nominee, who I find all that frightening for next time. They've got big problems of their own to solve, as we do," he continued.

And in a line that his potential campaign is almost certain to trot out again, he defended President Reagan when Novak asked him if Reagan's presidency was on the skids as his administration barreled into its final two years.

"I think the point there is that conservatives who owe their entire political existence to Ronald Reagan may have lost heart and lost gumption, but he hasn't," he said. "There's a big agenda yet to be completed. And just because maybe you folks are tired of writing about SDI [the Strategic Defense Initiative], or the Central America freedom fighter issue, does not mean that those agenda items have been completed. On the contrary, there are some big-ticket items yet to be addressed and defended."

He went on to handle a line of questions about the White House's supervision in the Iran-Contra affair and defended Reagan while taking care not to discuss publicly his request that then-chief of staff Donald Regan leave his post.

Asked by Novak later if federal health insurance for catastrophic illnesses is a good agenda item for Republicans, Daniels said, "I sure do, and I'm glad you asked, Bob."

"You're always talking about being in touch with the grassroots," he continued. "I don't know how you could have missed this one worse than you have. You have said that this has to do with coddling up to Democrats. It doesn't. The biggest problem we faced in this election, over half the Senate elections held, the No. 1 issue for the Democrats was Social Security and care of the elderly. This is a grassroots issue of importance to 50 million Americans."

The last question Novak asked Daniels was if he thought it was a bad idea to raise the salaries of operatives, members of Congress and Cabinet officials above $100,000 per year, and he said it was.
As governor of Indiana two decades later, Daniels takes home about $95,000 per year.

At the close of the show when Evans and Novak reflected on their guest, Evans pointed out that it's rare to meet an honest politician but said, "He's a very honest man."

Flash forward to 2004, and Daniels trusted himself enough to shoot 30-minute "reality TV" episodes about his gubernatorial campaign, which his campaign repeated in 2008.

That Daniels has been so active in the media and politically deft under pressure underscores what has been missing from the discussions about his potential presidential candidacy.

Layered beneath the buzz that he has the most abundant economic record of any potential candidate in the Republican field but may lack charisma is his storied career as a political operative that included his stint in the White House, as well as a campaign manager for Indiana GOP Sen. Richard Lugar and executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Dolan put it this way: "This notion that Mitch is just a policy wonk is preposterous. He's a very skillful polemicist."

And for that reason, he noted, "That's why Mitch's presence in the televised debates will be galvanizing."

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has ramped up an aggressive campaign to come to the defense of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as the ongoing political standoff in Madison continues to make headlines nationally.

On Wednesday, Pawlenty appeared on Fox News and chastised Wisconsin Democrats who have fled the state in order to delay a vote on Walker's proposal to take away collective bargaining privileges for public employees.

"When you raise your right hand, and you look the people of Wisconsin and the country in the eye and say that you're going to uphold the Constitution and uphold your duties, and then the first time you have something that isn't going to go your way, you skedaddle like a little ninny out of the state, it is a dereliction of duty, and they should be removed from office," Pawlenty said.

Pawlenty doubled down on his efforts to insert himself at the forefront of the issue on Thursday when his political action committee launched an online video and petition drive in support of Walker.

The 60-second clip features a similar dramatic musical score and fast-paced editing techniques that Pawlenty's PAC had used in a previously released spot, which highlighted the likely presidential candidate's leadership skills and vision for the future.

In the new video, Walker is shown mentioning Pawlenty's name along with popular Republican governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Mitch Daniels of Indiana. A Fox News host is also seen mentioning that some of the protests in Madison were being staged by the DNC and Organizing For America.

"It's really important that America stand with Walker, stand with Wisconsin," Pawlenty says at the end of the video.

The video directs viewers to a website, www.StandingWithScott.com, which then takes users directly to a page on Pawlenty's Freedom First PAC's site where a petition can be signed in support of Walker.

The PAC's website asks for petition signers to provide their names and email addresses -- data that Pawlenty aides can then retain for future appeals.

Other potential GOP presidential candidates including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee have also expressed public support for Walker, but Pawlenty's appeal stands out in its forcefulness.

A former union member himself, Pawlenty has often spoken out about labor issues in the past, and his eagerness to insert himself into the controversy is indicative of his capacity to seize upon a local issue that has quickly morphed into a national ideological debate, while maintaining his blue-collar bona fides.

Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, a self-described progressive, has had a target on his back since the day he ousted two-term Republican Sen. Mike DeWine by an eye-popping 12-point margin in 2006.

But as he gears up to run for a second term in 2012, even Republicans who thought he'd be easy to knock off after a single term are starting to suggest Brown is going to be tough to beat - despite the drubbing Ohio Democrats took in last year's midterms. According to both Republican strategists and the Democrats advising Brown, the reason Brown appears to be formidable is rooted in how he's conducted himself during his first term.

First, Brown's chief of staff, Mark Powden, spent 20 years working for former Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords, who was a longtime moderate Republican until he switched his affiliation to Independent and began caucusing with the Democrats in 2001. Powden served a stint as Jeffords's staff director when the then-Republican chaired the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in the 1990s, and he also later served Jeffords as his legislative director.

Brown tapped Powden to be a policy adviser when he took office in 2007 and promoted him to be chief of staff two years later. But while Brown's choice of a longtime staffer for a Senate Republican might surprise a few Ohioans who know Brown's political stripes well, Powden says Brown is not a senator who will compromise his political convictions.

"He's got his own mind. The only area where I've tried to moderate him is the Boston Red Sox," Powden joked in an interview. Brown's team in Major League Baseball remains the Cleveland Indians.

The Ohio Democrat came out against cap-and-trade when it passed the House of Representatives in 2009 because he reasoned that its provisions would be too hard on manufacturing in the Buckeye State. But on most other issues, Brown has shown himself to be among the most liberal lawmakers in the upper chamber, which puts him to the left of the electorate in Ohio. As he prepares to face voters next fall, however, don't expect him to start siding with Republicans on key votes; he recently doubled down on his support of the new health care law.

When Brown decided to run for the Senate in 2006, he promised that he would stay true to the identity he developed in his 14 years as a congressman in the northeast corner of Ohio, which tilts to the left.

National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh acknowledged that Brown is a dogged campaigner who is committed to his beliefs, but he drew a comparison between Brown and former Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold to suggest that Brown is beatable next year.

"I would remind of another unapologetic liberal who opened his campaign offices very early last cycle, and that would be Russ Feingold," Walsh said. "So I think anyone doubting Republican chances in Ohio this cycle should be cautioned about recent political history."

Of course, despite the recent two-term tenures of Republicans DeWine and former Sen. George Voinovich, the Buckeye State is perhaps more well known for its support of two iconic Democratic senators: John Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum.

Metzenbaum held his seat for three terms after a brief, earlier stint in the Senate and a few other failed attempts, including a Democratic primary against Glenn. Glenn served in the Senate for four terms, from 1974 thorugh 1998.

Though still facing his first reelection battle, Brown has been mentioned as an up-and-coming Senate icon in his own right.

As Powden explained, "He's incredibly enthusiastic about his job. He thinks the task of presiding is an incredible honor." He added, "His mantra is: ‘How do you leave this place better than you found it.'"

One issue area Brown has had to learn since coming to the Senate is agriculture, and he's already expanded his portfolio on the issue. After traveling the state extensively, Brown added six provisions to the 2008 Farm Bill reauthorization, including the Average Crop Revenue Election program, which helped to boost the state's farmers.

And aside from Powden, the bulk of Brown's senior staff consists of native Ohioans. A Brown spokeswoman said about 80 percent of the total staff comes from the state.

One of those is Jack Dover, who serves Brown as economic development director after having been his chief of staff in the House. Dover spends most of his time in Ohio to facilitate partnerships that promote economic development.

Dover's influence and Brown's economic development focus have won the senator plaudits from the business community in Ohio, including from business leaders like Alex Fischer, the president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership. The organization, which formed in 2002, is a coalition of central Ohio's key business leaders.

Fischer said that while he did serve Tennessee as a Republican when he was deputy governor, he doesn't let partisanship seep into his business efforts in Ohio. Nevertheless, the former GOP politician and current Ohio business leader did praise Brown in a phone interview with RealClearPolitics on Wednesday even though he said he can't support his campaign.

"I've been very complimentary of the senator's approach to engaging with the business community on the topic of economic development," Fischer said. "He's actively engaged on a very regular basis on economic issues in our community, and although there are many issues that many members of our business community don't agree with him on, economic development is one that I believe should be bipartisan. Senator Brown has done an outstanding job of engaging on those issues."

That praise is coming straight from Columbus, Ohio's capital, where many of Brown's potential GOP opponents work. And so far, most of them have been a bit skittish about taking on the incumbent.

Republicans point out that it's too early in the cycle to suggest that the lack of an announced GOP challenger could cause the party problems in its efforts to oust Brown, but Republican Rob Portman had announced his Senate candidacy by mid-January two years ago in the previous cycle.

At the time, Democrats had a more difficult time finding a challenger, and there were about four interested in candidates. Ohio Republicans are facing a similar situation now, as DeWine, who is currently attorney general, and Secretary of State Jon Husted have both said they're not interested in the race. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan told RealClearPolitics he is "leaning heavily against" the race. Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, who was just elected last fall to her current position, appears most interested, but some GOP consultants familiar with her wonder about her commitment to a long and tough campaign. There's also newly-elected Treasurer Josh Mandel, who Republican insiders say is very ambitious. Still, Mandel is only 33 and some consultants think family obligations may keep him out of the race this cycle.

Both parties are anxiously awaiting to see how the redistricting process could shake up the field, but for now, Brown is still without a challenger.

In March of 1984, then President Ronald Reagan wowed the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in part, by sprinkling some of his famously deft humor into his remarks.

"Yes, we have a trade deficit, but this isn't entirely new-the United States had a merchandise trade deficit in almost all of the years between 1790 and 1875," Reagan said. "I remember them well."

The 73-year-old president paused to allow the laughter to permeate the room before going in for the kill. "Of course, I was only a boy at the time," he added with impeccable comedic timing.

Recapturing Reagan's essence has long been the Holy Grail for Republican presidential hopefuls who have wasted few opportunities to invoke his memory. But for many prospective 2012 GOP candidates, the ability to reproduce Reagan's charming jocularity does not appear to come as easily as it did to their common political idol. Indeed, they spend more time jabbing President Obama than they do poking fun at themselves.

But for Reagan, the trade deficit joke was only one in a long line of self-deprecating jokes about his age that he regularly employed during his presidency, and it had two qualities in its favor. First and foremost, the remark was actually funny, which nearly any amateur joke-teller would agree is the most important attribute to a comedic endeavor.

But secondly, the comment came at his own expense and was an example of Reagan's ability to endear himself to crowds by demonstrating his undeniable self-confidence.

"He would more often make sport of himself than he would his political opponents," Craig Shirley, author of two acclaimed Reagan histories, said of the former president.

Shirley noted that Reagan was not averse to targeting his political adversaries in his jokes but that he largely would do so in a well-mannered way. The same 1984 CPAC speech provides an example of how Reagan accomplished the difficult balancing act of avoiding meanness and still managing to show off his sharp wit at his opponents' expense.

"The critics were wrong on inflation, wrong on interest rates, wrong on the recovery, and I believe they'll be wrong on the deficit, too, if the Congress will get spending under control," Reagan said. "If optimism were a national disease, they'd be immune for life."

At this year's CPAC conference, several of the current prospective GOP presidential candidates who spoke at the event tried their comedic hands in front of the friendly crowd, and although the response to their material was often positive, it was rarely overwhelming.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, for example, lit into Obama on the economy, but the multimillionaire simultaneously mocked the president for his both liberal and foodie ways.

After noting that Obama said the United States could be worse off than it is with unemployment hovering just under 10 percent, Romney joked, "It could be worse? This is the leader of the Free World's answer to the greatest job loss since the Great Depression? What's next? Let them eat cake?"

He added, "Oh, excuse me. Organic cake."

And jabbing the president for sounding notes of change again in this year's State of the Union, Romney said, "He sounded like he was going to dig up the first lady's organic garden to put in a Bob's Big Boy."

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's comedic repertoire also came across as a work in progress.

"Now I'm not one who questions the president's birth certificate and the existence of his birth certificate, but when you listen to his policies, don't you at least wonder what planet he's from?" Pawlenty asked, generating some laughter but more than a few uncomfortable glances.

Though Pawlenty has often been described as someone who is more charismatic and relatable to voters in small settings than in large ballrooms, Craig Shirley said that there were risks to politicians who feel compelled to leave their audiences in stiches.

"I think people should be what they are and not try to be what they aren't," Shirley said. "If you don't have that style or that wit or that presence, then you shouldn't try to fake it because I think people see right through it -- reporters and voters."

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels did critique the current administration during his CPAC speech, but he trained most of his dry humor on himself.

He opened his speech by joking that when presented with an invitation to speak at this year's gathering, his first reaction was, "Who canceled?"

He began another recent speech in the Beltway about fiscal issues by joking about cheap he is.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is another prospective GOP candidate who frequently turns to humor in her big speeches, and she frequently hits the mark with her adoring supporters.

But unlike in Reagan's case, Palin is not often eager to poke fun at herself, and her jokes that may reflect the norms of modern society to some can seem artless for a would-be White House hopeful to others.

"His theme last night of the State of the Union was the WTF-you know, winning the future," Palin said on Fox News after President Obama's State of the Union address last month. "And I thought, OK, that acronym-spot on! There were a lot of WTF moments throughout that speech."

Former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who served in both of Reagan's administrations as Undersecretary of Education and as a domestic policy adviser, said that his former boss was well aware of the political utility of his congeniality.

"Reagan knew how to sell the conservative message in a way that made it relatively easy on the ears of the listener, and his great Irish personality drew people to him, even in cases where they often disagreed with him," Bauer said. "I think a lot of people could imagine and want to have Ronald Reagan over to their house for a cookout and feel that it wouldn't be awkward. They wouldn't have to put out any facade, and they could pretty much be themselves. And I think for a lot of people in public life today, it's hard for most Americans to imagine them having a normal conversation."

Asked if any of the potential Republican contenders had demonstrated signs of the way that Reagan could disarm his opponents with a joke, Bauer came up empty.

"I think [Indiana Rep.] Mike Pence was very close to that, and as we know, he has taken himself out of consideration," he said. "I think as far as the rest of the field, any one of which I could support against the current incumbent -- not meaning to insult any of them -- I don't think any of them quite have that charm, which Ronald Reagan possessed at a great surplus."

Of course, the mothers, spouses, and close friends of members of the prospective GOP field might well disagree with Bauer's assessment. And former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is one potential candidate who is almost universally acknowledged to be deft with a one-liner and is frequently seen as affable, even to his detractors.

Still, a Huckabee candidacy is still far from reality, and sources close to his operative think he's poised not to run, though his recent comments suggest the opposite.

As for the rest of the field, it may be that the current crop of contenders just misses the mark on one of Reagan's trademark quality.

Up-and-coming Republicans, however, may possess it.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, for examples, riffs on the Democratic lawmakers in his state and his own tough-guy dealings with them in no short supply. He often tells a story from early 2010 about the Democrats' threat to shut down the government over a disagreement about the budget and taxes.

After receiving the threat about a shutdown, Christie told the lawmakers not to sweat it, and that rather than waiting it out, he would go back to the governor's residence, "open a beer, I'm going to order a pizza, and I'm going to watch the Mets." He continued, "When you decide to reopen the government, give me a call, and I'll come back." He said he wouldn't sleep on a cot the way former Democrat Jon Corzine did as governor when he faced the same threat.

"Take a look at me," the plump Christie joked. "You think I'm sleeping on a cot? Not happening."

Indiana Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels today blasted the Democratic lawmakers who fled the Hoosier State this week in order to deny a quorum and delay a vote on an anti-union bill.

"The House Democrats have shown a complete contempt for the democratic process," he said in a briefing this afternoon. "The way that works-as we all learned in grade school-is that if you seek public office, you come, do your duty, you argue, you debate, you amend if you can, you vote ‘no' if you feel you should."

He added, "You don't walk off the job, take your public paycheck with you, and attempt to bring the whole process to a screeching halt. You know, if they persist, the Democratic Party of Indiana will need a rebranding effort because this is as anti-democratic as behavior can be."

His strong words came on the heels of a series of reports that suggested he was walking away from a fight, as he had said that the bill be stricken from consideration this year and taken up later.

On Tuesday, after reports surfaced that a group of Democratic House members had left for Illinois and Kentucky, Daniels held a briefing in which he commended the activists protesting the bill for exercising their constitutional rights. An initial press report suggested that Daniels was instead saluting the Democratic lawmakers who left the state. Subsequently, an audio of the press briefing was released making it clear Daniel's was referring to the protestors, not the Democratic lawmakers.

Daniels spokeswoman Jane Jankowski sought to further dispel any confusion issuing a statement later in the day explaining that when Daniels said on Tuesday, "the activities of today are perfectly legitimate part of the process" and "Even the smallest minority - and that's what we've heard from the last couple of days - has every right to express the strength of its views and I salute those who do," he was referring to protesters.

Daniels further clarified the comments in today's press conference, calling it a "huge distinction."

Asked about conservatives who think he hasn't been tough enough on this issue, Daniels shot back emphatically, "They don't understand the situation at all."

He continued, "We are in pursuit of an important reform agenda that I think these critics, whoever they are, would support vigorously. It has been seriously endangered by this activity that we're seeking to bring to an end now."

He was also pressed on whether his reactions have implications on his potential presidential run in 2012, but scolded people who only think in political terms. Instead, he used the question as an opportunity to lay out his overall agenda.

"I'd probably be pursuing a very different course," he said if he were acting with the presidential race in mind.

Nevertheless, the script of today's press conference in Indiana was sent to both the governor's regular press list and a national list, as well.

"I don't know how we'll proceed," he said, but "I can tell you what won't happen: We will not be bullied or blackmailed out of pursuing the agenda we laid in front of the people of Indiana. That agenda is going to get voted on."

He vowed to keep the legislature in until the end of the year if necessary but didn't expect it would be.

"I've got all year, and I don't melt," he said.

A Gallup poll conducted nationally and released on Wednesday showed a statistical three-way tie for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and provided further evidence of an unsettled field with plenty of opportunities for lesser-known candidates to make inroads before the voting begins next year.

In the poll of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, which was conducted Feb. 18 through Feb. 20, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee led the pack with 18 percent of respondents saying they would be most likely to support him for the Republican nomination.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin each finished at 16 percent, which was within the margin of error (+/- 3 percent) of Huckabee's first-place finish.

No prospective Republican candidate has officially announced a campaign as of yet.

While Huckabee's impressive showing marks a six percent jump in his support from a Gallup poll taken last September, national surveys are notoriously unreliable tools to predict the outcome of presidential nominating contests-especially since the first votes will not be tallied until just under a year from now.

Throughout most of 2007, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani enjoyed a substantial lead in national polls over his Republican rivals, only to see that support collapse as the voting began in early caucuses and primaries.

Rounding out the top six slots of the new Gallup poll were former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (9 percent), Texas Rep. Ron Paul (5 percent), and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (4 percent).

Other viable prospective candidates who are typically mentioned as top-tier contenders, including former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, all polled in the low single-digits.

The Gallup poll did not find large differences between various subsets of Republican and Republican-leaning voters, though Huckabee performed particularly well among conservatives, churchgoers, and southerners.

Herman Cain may be a longshot Republican presidential hopeful, but the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza showed on Tuesday night that he is a savvy enough politician to take advantage of some free publicity from a far more well-known potential GOP contender.

When former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin posted to her Facebook page and her Twitter feed a link to a column that Cain had penned for Investor's Business Daily, the Atlanta businessman responded within minutes to underscore the high-profile exposure by thanking Palin over Twitter and adding an additional link to his piece for anyone who had missed it.

Cain's weekly commentary that Palin publicized was titled "Merely Taking Positions Is Not Leadership" and began with a jab at the press -- a device that Palin is no stranger to employing in her own public comments.

"All the attempts by the media to make stories out of the budget battles going on in Washington, D.C., will not change the bottom line of how it will end up, no matter how many ways they try to create a story," Cain wrote. "Namely, the taxpayers will get stuck with more debt and more taxes again."

Cain went on to chastise President Obama's proposed budget while praising the leadership of Republican governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Rick Snyder of Michigan, who are locked in their own budget battles.

"Being in a leadership position without leading is called position-ship," Cain wrote. "And when you truly lead, you will be criticized because working on the right problems, setting the right priorities, surrounding yourself with the right people and developing the right plans will not make everybody happy."

Cain has formed a presidential exploratory committee and has kept a heavy schedule of public events in early voting states, while Palin and other prospective GOP contenders wait to make their decisions about whether to run.

Though Cain has generated some genuine buzz among grassroots conservatives in Iowa, his miniscule name recognition and lack of a high-profile political background has left him out of most of the early presidential chatter.

Palin's effort to highlight his work, though a minor gesture, is nonetheless notable in that the former Alaska governor is well aware of the amount of attention her every online utterance is capable of generating.

Palin has a long history of backing the kinds of longshot candidates in Republican primaries that she herself once was during the early stages of her lieutenant governor and gubernatorial campaigns in Alaska.

Additionally, Palin has for years been a consistent critic of what she has derided as the traditional GOP establishment process of preselecting candidates before voters have their say.

While clearly not an endorsement of Cain, Palin's promotion of his column served as an early reminder that if she were to decide not to seek the Republican nomination herself, her highly coveted endorsement would be at least as likely to be awarded to an underdog candidate who is popular among the grassroots as it would to a better known contender with a wealth of resources at his disposal.