J.F. - New candidates join race? The more the merrier

Find it hard keeping up with the list of presidential candidates, from both major parties? That's the good news.

More candidates provide more voter choice.

With two Thompsons, Tommy and Fred, joining an already crowded race for the Republican nomination, and a similarly varied slate of Democratic candidates, primary voters probably will exercise greater power this year than they have in many past election years. That's true for more than one reason.

The obvious one, of course, is that no one has a lock on either party's nomination. No incumbent will stand for re-election next year, and neither party has swung solidly behind one office seeker to the detriment of others, as happened when Republicans coalesced behind George W. Bush in 2000.

Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton wants to be seen as the inevitable standard bearer, which itself is a testament to the powerful rivals she faces. Barack Obama has demonstrated the ability to generate popular enthusiasm, and John Edwards is benefiting from the ability to campaign full time. And, as with the Republicans, many lower-tier candidates wait for an opening should a front-runner stumble.

Something else is at work too, though. Like 2006, 2008 promises to be a volatile election year. Americans are unhappy with their government, which has given them a disastrous war, a huge debt and, for many, a declining standard of life. They are looking for change.

Does that hurt the Republicans who will have controlled the White House for eight years and the Congress for six of those years? Of course. But polls say the fall in public approval of Republicans has not resulted in a rise in support for Democrats. And approval numbers for Congress remain low.

No one knows where the public mind will be 19 months from now, which helps explain the wide variety of candidates' positions on issues as well as the number of candidates. Republican John McCain is gambling that his stout support for the Iraq war will prove more popular among Americans in November 2008 than it is today, while Democrats scramble to be seen as the person most likely to extricate U.S. troops from it.

So don't worry about keeping all the Thompsons and the others straight. It's a big menu. Sample from here and there. And remember, you have a long, long time before you have any big decisions to make. - J.F.