You might scoff, and think, come on, Van, you CAN'T be serious. But I am. Julie Nixon Eisenhower has assets that would make her a powerful nominee, campaigning as the anti-Hillary.

First, think of her heritage. JNE is the daughter of one president and the the wife of the grandson of another (that's David Eisenhower, for you folks who don't follow the lineage of America's great political dynasties). Those men were elected president four times. And think of the name recognition! Nixon . . . Eisenhower. People feel comfortable with those names, they suggest happy memories of hula hoops and Elvis Presley, James Dean and Doris Day, the great movies of the early 1970s. Cheap gasoline, bell bottoms and puka beads. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but you get the point. The only name better than President Julie Nixon Eisenhower would be someone like President Gertrude Lincoln McKinley.

Second, she can go head to head against Hillary in the education and career department. JNE is 59 years old, almost exactly the same age as Hillary, so they have followed a very close life trajectory. JNE is a graduate of Smith College, so she's brainy, just like her parents, the late Dick and Pat. She holds a master's degree from the Catholic University of America (note to Karl Rove: this could play well in the Latino community. What'd she study?).

JNE and David have three lovely and accomplished children -- Jennie, Alexander and Melanie -- so they have a strong commitment to family values. They'd look great together on the campaign trail. Finally, JNE has had a professional life that sounds every bit as impressive to me as anything Hillary has done, according to Wikipedia:

Julie and David settled in Pennsylvania, where she completed several books, including Pat Nixon: The Untold Story, a biography of her mother. She has an extensive record of community service in the Philadelphia area and is co-chair of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Birthplace Foundation.

Don't you think Americans would warm up to a woman who writes books about her mother and does community deeds, instead of swatting down bimbo eruptions and driving Vince Foster crazy?

Thus, I am proud to put forth the name of Julie Nixon Eisenhower as a prime contender for the GOP nomination.

If elected, I think her Ambassador to the UN should be this naturalized American citizen, Sergei Krushchev, who should be able to pound a pretty good shoe on a podium to drive home the American perspective. Another dynasty in action!