Now that it looks like Chris Christie has damaged his presidential ambitions, its starting to look like the Republican Party has only one really credible candidate to nominate for the highest office: Jeb Bush. Its no mystery why the man is now being courted by GOP kingmakers and the Daddy Warbucks donor class. Look at the rest of the Party: Ayn Rand ideologues, redneck bible-bangers, Babbitts, Archie Bunkers, foam-at-the-mouth Neocons and the usual Klown Kar Kollege of Kardinals. Bush was a popular governor in a big swing state, he’s relatively young and he is moderate enough in hs politics to not immediately alienate everyone to the left of Genghis Khan. Even more important, he is popular with Latinos, has championed their immigration cause, he lived in Mexico, married a Mexican girl, and is fluent in Spanish. That alone blunts a big arrow in the Democratic quiver.

Of course, his critics will point out that he’s a Bush. His brother Dubya was ridiculed on the left as a drooling cretin and bloodthirsty warmonger whose own party and former loyal defenders now refuse to acknowlege and act as if he had never existed. But you can’t blame Jeb for the Bush Baby. Besides, the Elder Bush was President too, with an outstanding record in public service and the grudging respect of his Democratic opponents (even if his own partisans cruelly betrayed him for the unforgivable ideological sin of raising taxes for the good of the country).

Sadly, the Democrats are in a very similar position. Except for a handful of hotshot small fry nobody mayors and legislators, mostly swarthy white-toothed minority favorites or overly-lefty fire-breathing dames, there doesn’t seem to be anyone on the Left with any class or reputation except Hillary. (Joe Biden and Liz Warren are my favorites, but he’s way too old and she’s just not quite ready). If the GOP is handicapped by too many wackofundo hopefuls, the Dems don’t seem to have anyone else at all. Hillary is married to the President that led us during the last years of America’s ascendancy, and, (if her Right wing critics are to be believed), gained plenty of on-the-job experience helping him run the Free World. And as those same critics fear, his feared political genius will be ready to advise her during her term(s) in office. She has also had a distinguished career on her own, in both domestic and international affairs. Hillary also understands her opposition: she started out in politics as a Young Republican, and even campaigned for Barry Goldwater in 1964. (I’ll bet you didn’t know that, did you?). Yep, she knows better than most how the Great Right-Wing Conspiracy works.

Hillary has one great advantage, she’s a woman and America is as ready for a woman President as it was ready for a black one. No, I don’t think this will necessarily make her a better President, but it will certainly make her a better candidate. Her opposition has done as great a job at courting women voters as they have at reaching out to blacks, the poor and Latinos, and they are all ready to return the favor. America is going for the double play, and it will put all those self-righteous oh-so-tolerant snooty Europeans in their place once and for all. Who can the TParty bring up to challenge her in that respect, even in the VP slot, Sarah? Michelle? Judge Judy? Unless they can turn Oprah Republican by 2015 the GOP is SOL.

OK, its too early to tell yet, but it is very possible that the next Presidential election will be a contest between two political families. It will be a Dynastic struggle between Great Houses. I’m certainly not the first to have speculated about this, but it still is a sobering thought.