Gallup does some polling on the prospects of various well-known Republican presidential hopefuls.

Keeping a low profile seems to have done Huckabee and Romney some good--both have high favorables and low unfavorables--Huckabees being slightly better on both fronts. Sarah Palin on the other hand, seems to benefited from being everywhere. Her book is number one and its not even been released yet (I've got my copy back-ordered from Amazon...).

Huckabee and Romney are too terribly surprising since they worked hard and spent a lot of time and money developing credibility with the public during the Republican primaries. The impression lingers, and a low profile lets tempers cool while events lead people to reconsider. Palin on the other hand, while indisputably a star, has to work hard to overcome the high negatives she acquired (with a lot of help from the left who are in mortal fear of her...). She seems to be on track, with numbers identical to that of Romney.

At least another 18 months before everyone squats in the blocks again, but if the current environment persists, we could see a fascinating dynamic emerging.

If you're an Evangelical voter, who do you like? Palin or Huckabee?

If you're a more traditional Republican voters, more concerned about fiscal issues (and who won't be?), how do you like Romney now?

Predicting what the winning issue is going to be two and three years out is at minimum risky and quite possibly foolish, but its a pretty big hole the Democrats have dug and its not going to get filled in within a year or even two or three. Romney will likely find a more amenable political environment, while Huckabee and Palin find it less to their liking.

It leaves the door open to other candidates with solid fiscal credentials and acceptable conservative bona fides. Haley Barbour has by most accounts, been an excellent governor. He's smart, well-spoken, charming and connected.

Ask me again next year, but right now I'd say that Barbour and Romney--guys with a track record of actually doing things (successfully) are the ones to watch.