Glenn Reynolds suggests that one of the consequences of the early start to the 2008 campaign is that it will wear down the candidates before the critical last months of the race and the first months of the new administration:

I think that starting the campaign early is a bad idea for a lot of reasons. Aside from considerations like the above, it draws much more heavily on the campaign’s most important capital, the candidate. Tired people make mistakes, and the earlier you start, the tireder you’re likely to be by the final stages when it really matters. Plus, with a two-year campaign, whoever gets elected will start off already exhausted. And I’m serious about this, not just joking. Being President, especially during difficult times like these, wears people out anyway, and it can only be worse if you start off tired from a two-year campaign.

This seems to be an accurate observation. I wonder if this means that this year’s campaign will favor a dark horse candidate that has yet to emerge? Based on this piece in the NY Times, perhaps such a candidate will emerge from the religious right.