Republicans, Democrats obsessed with unannounced candidates

If you need any more indication that we start our presidential elections much too soon, look at the storm over two people who haven’t even said they’re going to run. Republicans have 10 announced candidates, including some heavy hitters in Rudolph Guiliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain.

Democrats have eight candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Yet each party seems as obsessed with who isn’t running as with who is.

Each day mass e-mails are sent out to tell of the latest news about unannounced candidate Fred Thompson. And each day pundits speculate over when and where Al Gore will jump into the Democratic race for president.
It’s as if both Thompson and Gore are waiting _ and maybe secretly hoping _ for the current field of candidates to implode, paving the way for a new candidate to emerge as a favorite.

Of course if Thompson and Gore indeed plan to enter the race but don’t handle this right, there will be a lot of resentment among faithful in each party. They’ll also be behind in fundraising. With so many state primaries moved up to late January and early February, a candidate who waits too long misses out on money and voters. Timing can mean everything in politics.

Neither Gore nor Thompson has announced his plans yet. Each is being coy about it, which doesn’t hurt their efforts to keep media attention on them while not having to campaign. But each week that passes without them entering the race only makes it more difficult to get a foothold when and if they do. And there is too much at stake for any leading candidate to fold up and go home just because a high-profile candidate jumps in.