David Gergen: Two Candidates

It was good to see Ed Rollins on the show tonight. A few months ago he became the campaign manager and strategist for Mike Huckabee, and from the results this past Tuesday, you can see how effective a team he and Huckabee have become.

Ed and I go way back to Reagan days, and I haven't seen him this excited about a candidate since the Gipper.

With the race down to two candidates now, Ed is clearly hoping that Huckabee can win some of the big states upcoming like Texas, Virginia, and even Pennsylvania. But I wonder whether there won't soon be a built-in conflict for Huckabee: If he truly would like to be the vice presidential candidate – as is widely believed – isn't it pretty clear that McCain will grow increasingly disenchanted with Huckabee winning anything? I am not sure how even Ed Rollins can square that circle.

Recently Anderson and I taped a conversation about the extreme challenges facing the next President. I hope that viewers will have a chance to see – we are entering a dramatically important time for the country, and the more we talk this year about what the choices are - and the more we hear from the candidates - the better prepared we will be to face the future squarely.

– David Gergen, CNN Sr. Political Analyst

Program note: Watch David Gergen's conversation with Anderson "Extreme Challenges: The Next 4 Years" on 360° at 11p ET