Card: None of GOP's horses has 'broken through'

by Mark Silva

Tonigeht, as Republicans watched to see which one of their candidates for president carries the blessing of the "Live Free or Die" state, Andy Card, former chief of staff to President Bush, maintained that none of his party's hopefuls really has "broken through yet.''

In an interview this evening with FOX Business Network’s Neil Cavuto, Card looked ahead down the road toward Super Tuesday, the Feb. 5 cascade of party primaries that will become the true test of any candidate's staying power in the presidential campaign of 2008.

"There are going to be candidates standing for quite some time'' Card told Cavuto. "Mitt Romney has the ability to stand for some time. If John McCain wins in New Hampshire, he’ll be able to stand. Rudy Giuliani hasn’t even been tested yet. His first test will really be in Florida. I think the process is wide open.”

And Card, who served as chief of staff through Bush's first term and then left during the second term, said this: "All of the Republican candidates’ voices have not broken through yet.”

Asked whom he is supporting, Card said: "“I’m supporting the sitting president of the United States. He has a tough job to do. He’s doing the job well. I’m encouraging him and I’m encouraging others to let him do the job well... I’m worried that we’ll have two faux presidents in the middle of March and everybody will be looking at them to lead the country and it’s the sitting president who has the responsibility.”

Asked what makes a good president, he said: "“I think the most important characteristic to have as president of the United States is the courage to be lonely, and I haven’t seen which of these candidates have the courage to be lonely yet.”

It could get pretty lonely for some of these Republicans, however, after New Hampshire's ballots are counted.