The fiery former congressman and retired military colonel Allen West hasn’t definitively ruled out running for president in 2016. Earlier this week he told radio host and Townhall columnist Ben Shapiro that he’s “considering it,” but tempered his remarks by saying he hasn’t made up his mind yet. The Washington Examiner caught the transcript:
While appearing on Wednesday's edition of AM 870's "Morning Answer," Col. Allen West told Ben Shapiro that he is considering a run for the White House in 2016 out of respect for those who have asked him to run.
"As I was doing the motorcycle ride across the country and wherever we stopped, fuel stop, overnight stop, people would come up and they would ask me that question," he said. "And it would be very disrespectful and dismissive of great Americans if I did not step back and take the time to consider it and pray about it and talk about it with close confidants, so that is what I'll do."
West, however, warned that while he'll consider a run, there is no guarantee he actually will throw his hat in the ring.
"Am I considering it?" he asked. "I am considering it. That does not mean I am going to jump it and do it, but in respect to those people who are so very kind and believe that I have that level of capacity and capability, that’s what I have to do for them.”
If he takes the plunge he’ll find himself in a crowded field overflowing with Tea Party favorites. Presumably, he’d need to beat out Cruz, Paul, Huckabee and Carson (?) to secure the grassroots Righty nod before taking on the establishment candidate. But what are the chances that happens?
I just don't see how Colonel West clinches the nomination with so many talented candidates in the mix. The safer bet is that either Cruz or Paul will be conservatives' top choice. Then again, the field is wide open -- and who knows what the future might bring.
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