Sunday, March 06, 2011

Opinion: Are you ready for the 2012 campaign? Who will the nominees be?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/05/AR2011030502069.html


By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 5, 2011; 5:10 PM

As Republicans dither, debating who is and who isn't in the 2012 race for the White House, President Obama and his team are moving swiftly to dive into the business of winning reelection.

No office space has yet been rented. No committee has been formed. No official announcement date has been locked down. But by sometime next month, the president's team is likely to be a functioning, legal entity with a plan.

That should send a message to potential Republican candidates, who have spent the winter trying to convince themselves that they can wait and wait and perhaps wait some more before they get moving. Obama's team believes otherwise. They know what time and effort are required to build a robust organization capable of winning a general election - and how important the work done this year will be.