It has been a difficult search and, by most accounts, remains so. When the Republican candidates for president gather tonight in St. Petersburg for the CNN/YouTube debate, each will be vying for the love of the conservatives who dominate the GOP's primaries and caucuses, which begin in barely six weeks.
So what's your type? A churchy family man, antiabortion and anti-gay marriage, a teetotaling minister with a license to pack heat? Get Mike Huckabee's number.
But keep in mind: As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee did something no true conservative should ever do, even with God on his side.
How about a proven law-and-order man? A rough 'em-and-cuff 'em former prosecutor who figures law-abiding citizens shouldn't mind being stopped and frisked. Let the civil libertarians cry in their lattes; Rudy Giuliani tamed New York.