Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has announced he will not run for President. This is actually shocking since he was considered one of the top Contenders.

“I will not be a candidate for president next year. This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided.

“Hundreds of people have encouraged me to run and offered both to give and raise money for a presidential campaign. Many volunteers have organized events in support of my pursuing the race. Some have dedicated virtually full time to setting up preliminary organizations in critical, early states and to helping plan what has been several months of intensive activity.

It’s a shame because Haley Barbour was one of the few potential contenders who was opposed to the Libyan intervention. He handled Hurricane Katrina with success as opposed to Louisiana Governor Katleen Blanco who botched it. This showed his leadership skills. This will be a sad loss for the GOP.