Haley Barbour, my one-time nemesis, is not running for president.

Nate Silver says bluntly that this was almost certainly because he realized that he wasn’t going to win.

I can’t say he’s wrong, though I was also one of those who talked up his chances in my own small way. Mainly to point out that, whatever his flaws and missteps, he was, until the end, the best political strategist in the field.

Some folks are saying that this creates an opening for Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to jump in.

That, my friends, is pure hogwash. Haley Barbour’s electoral strength was in the South. His other strengths were the above mentioned strategic mind and his deep connections to national donors.

While his political acumen could be lent to Daniels in the form of advice, that’s not the same as being one of the GOP’s finest political minds. And even if he handed Daniels his entire rolodex, Daniels couldn’t replicate to relationships Barbour formed with the donors and while Barbour might provide some help, he’s not going to singlehandedly raise tens of millions of bucks for a longshot primary candidate – not and risk pissing off more likely winners.