The Republican field

• John McCain. To many, the senator from Arizona's candidacy is a foregone conclusion, and his recent buddying up to Bush loyalists and other old adversaries suggests he's serious. He's a genuine hero with terror-fighting credentials and know-how in handling the media. Allies say he's the answer to the GOP independent-voter problem that exploded last week.

• Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani. He continually scores well in national polls, and GOP candidates across the land flew in the former mayor of New York as an anti-terror symbol. But he's given no indication thus far of wanting to run, and skeptics wonder how far his distinctly moderate Republicanism would play among hard-core GOP conservatives.

• Mitt Romney. Perhaps no one benefited more from the collapsing political career of Virginia Sen. George Allen, which opened up a space in the party's conservative wing. Romney's ability to become governor of Massachusetts shows electability. His name and good looks are assets. Some wonder if his Mormon faith will play in places like South Carolina.

• Newt Gingrich. The leader of the GOP revolution of 1994 was once one of the most powerful politicians in America. He is a big thinker who confuses some and bores others with wordy statements such as his goal of "defining the idea context and solution context of the next generation of American politics." Name ID would be no problem.

• Bill Frist. The heart surgeon and outgoing Senate majority leader is moving back to Tennessee to make up his mind about a national campaign after term-limiting himself in Washington. His intellect is admired, but he may have damaged his future by orchestrating perceived Senate missteps on immigration and the debate over Terri Schiavo.

• Chuck Hagel. The Nebraska senator is regarded by some as McCain-light for his straight-shooting ways, such as calling the GOP Medicare prescription drug bill "a sham and a rip-off for everybody." But he's more conservative than McCain, and his personal story, turning a $5,000 investment into a cellular phone empire, would have appeal.

• Mike Huckabee. A Baptist minister and TV executive, the outgoing Arkansas governor has strong anti-abortion credentials that would be appealing in the right-leaning world of Republican primaries. Despite dealing with a Democratic legislature, he scored successes on health-care and other issues as governor, the preferred platform these days for seeking the White House.