Republicans Positioning Themselves Ahead of 2016

iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — 2016 maneuvering is now the story of the day, every day.

Rand Paul was in New Hampshire Wednesday, calling Libya “Hillary’s War,” according to ABC affiliate WMUR-TV. He’s also making stops in Nevada, the “first in the West” state.

Other Republicans like Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Rick Perry, and yes, even Mitt Romney are gathering at the RNC Winter Meeting this week where donors, delegates and reporters will be in San Diego to hear the contenders and Romney discuss why he wants to make a third go of it.

And there’s one name we haven’t heard that much from recently, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is heading across the pond and will give what is being billed as a “major foreign policy address” next week in London. In excerpts given to the Weekly Standard, Jindal will accuse Clinton of “empathizing” with our enemies in order to “find some common ground…I have no interest in that kind of mindless naiveté.”

If Republicans blow their shot at 2016, it’s going to be hard to blame the Republican National Committee. Chairman Reince Priebus has been quietly completing his checklist.

This week’s meeting in San Diego will have the GOP finalizing an early convention date and looking to lock in a sharply limited debate schedule.

Already, Priebus has brought order to the calendar process in addition to cleaning up the messy Michael Steele-era balance sheet. Priebus’ “autopsy” report after 2012 has been derided for its lack of impact, but it did put the party on record on some touchy areas where there’s limited authority for the party to chart a course.

This may be the most wide-open GOP primary in modern history, with ample opportunities for Republicans to tear each other apart. Financially and structurally, at least, it’s difficult to see how the party could be in a better place.

Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.