by Wayne Douma

Created on: August 08, 2009   Last Updated: August 17, 2009

The Republican Party has quite a few choices to be their new face of the party. The big decision is what direction they will turn. Will the party go toward the middle and try to be more appealing to moderates and right leaning Democrats, as Meghan McCain and Colin Powell have suggested? The party could also go the media route, and choose for its face to be someone like Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, or Mark Levin. Then there is the route that seems most promising - return to its conservative roots and find a face for the party. Whatever way the party chooses, here are some prominent Republicans who have a chance.

- Mike Huckabee: Huckabee was one of those long-shot candidates running for President in the Republican primaries in 2008. Not much was known of Huckabee early on except he was a former Governor of Arkansas and was born in Hope, Arkansas (the same place that produced Democratic President Bill Clinton). Huckabee gained exposure by winning the first primary of the season, the Iowa Caucus, and that launched him to an unforeseensecond place finish in the Republican primary. He was now in the Republican spotlight.

A little about Mike Huckabee - he plays bass guitar, is a former Baptist preacher, served two terms as Arkansas Governor (after the seat was opened by the leaving of Bill Clinton), lost a lot of weight and wrote the book "Stop Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork" about it, and now has his own weekend show on Fox-News Channel. Huckabeeis a likeable guy, there can be no denying that. In his latest book "Do the Right Thing" he describes an experience where an African American cab driver pulled over and his taxi and comes up to Huckabee saying, "I'm a lifelong Democrat, always voted that way, but I like you and could vote for you." That is an appeal Huckabee brings to the Republican Party that not many others can. During the primaries there was a debate held at the majority African American, Morgan State University, that John McCain, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani all skipped. Mike Huckabee was there, and was received well by the majority African American crowd. That is an appeal the GOP desperately needs when the Democrats have a stranglehold on the black vote.

- Sarah Palin: Sarah Palin reignited John McCain's Presidential run. Her speech at the 2008 GOP Convention in Minnesota was brilliant, and it sure fired up the party for this Presidential ticket. She is smart, extremely attractive, and has appeal to middle class Americans.

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