For those political folk who aren't satisfied with off-year elections, or even with midterm elections, yes, there's already talk going on about the 2012 presidential race, and the emerging field of Republicans. The Daily Beast has not one but two articles up on the subject, one by long-time GOP strategist Mark McKinnon, and one by Benjy Sarlin

McKinnon makes this interesting observation about the current political climate:

I’m surprised by how many people I talk to in the media and politics, including many Republicans, already presume Obama will be a two-term president.

Nonetheless, there's plenty of Republicans who are at least flirting with the idea of running against him. In his own handicapping, McKinnon ranks Romney and Pawlenty at the top of his list, mentions John Thune prominently, and
suggests that new Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman could "solve an early crisis and come home" to torment Obama.

Sarlin focuses on the evenness of the field, and offers brief profiles of ten potentential candidates--interestingly, not the same ten on McKinnon's handicapping list!