Admittedly, I've been lukewarm on Mitt and downright bearish on Rudy and certainly, neither of them would be at the top of my list as a candidate for the GOP in 2008.

However, to be fair, there is one potential advantage that both men would likely have over the other two top tier contenders, Thompson and McCain.

Over the last couple of elections, the electorate has been very closely divided. When the election starts, there are usually no more than a dozen or so states being contested and by the end, there are usually only a handful of states that could swing either way.

However, Rudy or Mitt is capable of putting a number of northern states into play. Although I am skeptical that either of them could put California or New York into play, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota -- among other states -- could suddenly be hotly contested.

This would make it much more difficult for the Democrats to get to that magic 270 electoral votes and if Mitt or Rudy were able to win and change the map, that would have major ramifications. It could mean more Republican senators and congressmen elected in those states and once a state goes Red, who knows, it might be easier for the next Republican President to win that state 8 years later.

Of course, the flip side of having Mitt or Rudy win the nomination is that a lot of conservatives would be turned off and if they got elected, well, haven't Republicans been complaining for the last 6 years that Bush isn't conservative enough? It's hard to imagine Mitt or Rudy governing to Bush's right on most issues.

Still, a lot of people have been talking about the negatives, so it's worth considering the positives for both men, too.