The Republican Party has gotten around to confronting a new challenge this cycle will present — how to deal effectively with either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton without appearing racist or sexist. The party has commissioned polling and focus groups designed to test how far they can go with an attack, and where the line is between an effective attack versus one that alienates voters.

"You can't run against Barack Obama the way you could run against Bill Clinton, Al Gore or John Kerry,” said 1996 vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp, who added a simple message: "You have to be careful."