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As the Iowa Primary draws near it is time to analyze the Presidential Contenders and Pretenders.

Looking at the Contenders from the Republican Party we find Rudy Giuliani leading the pack. Giuliani has proven to be a strong leader and taken on tough challenges throughout his career. The country generally knew of him before 9/11 but the world knows of him now. It would be hard to imagine him not gaining the Republican Nomination at this point. His main weaknesses are his stance on gun control, illegal immigration and his social agenda or lack there of. The silent conservative voters that look to a candidate for their stance on abortion and gay marriage will determine his fate. With Pat Robertson endorsing his campaign it may sway this group and secure his victory. He also gets bonus points from his Party with his stance on terrorism.

Fred Thompson has fallen in recent polls. He was once thought to have the Reagan factor on his side but his campaign has been surprisingly stale. Republican's were looking for more from Thompson and have been disappointed thus far. The silent conservative voters that are not found in polls will determine his outcome. Is this group waiting in the wings to support him? We will not know until Iowa.

America loves John McCain. However, the American voter does not. He was the only candidate that supported this year's troop surge in Iraq from the beginning. He bet his political career on their success. Once again the military did not let him down. Unfortunately, the polls did. He is in dire need of a political homerun to stay in the running past Iowa. Could a strong Vice Presidential candidate help? Probably not enough.

Mitt Romney comes with a different background than all. Would America support a Mormon President? Does America care? Romney has the funds to make a run for the nomination. Time will tell if money can persuade the American voter. He has a lot of ground to make up to be considered a serious contender. It is possible though since he appears to have the surprising lead in Iowa.

Then there is Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Mike Huckabee. He has climbed his way into second in Iowa. His straight talk has won over Midwest voters. He has many obstacles to overcome. The main one being that he's out of money. If he does take second in Iowa it will lead to an interesting Primary in New Hampshire with Romney, Giuliani and himself. He is the only Pro-Life candidate in the crowd. Could this be enough to push him ahead of the mammoths

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