Who do the Republicans fear most?

This blog post over at the Economist.com ponders an interesting
question:

IS Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama a bigger worry for
the Republicans these days? David Brooks, writing in
today's New York Times, says they "moderately fear"
Mrs Clinton, but fear Mr Obama "a great deal." This
may seem counter-intuitive, given the depth and
breadth of the Clinton organisation. So why is a young,
freshman senator making some Republican Party officials
tremble in their boots?

As a conservative I can tell right off the bat I think Barack Obama
is hard to beat in the general because he's drawing independents and
even some Republicans. I must confess Hillary Clinton would also
be a formidable opponent. She has proven to be well-prepared and
has the Democratic base highly organized.

If the Republican party is going to unite, it's not going to unite against
someone. It has unite behind certain principles. Hillary Clinton or Barack
Obama don't cause me to fear. Exiting Iraq when the job is not done is
what I'm concerned about. Government funded health care is what I'm
concerned about. Higher taxes causes me to be concerned. A president who
will appoint judges who will radically interpret the Constitution is my
concern.

I don't know who I'm voting for yet. I can tell you I'm going to be voting for
something and not against someone. Hillary Derangement Syndrome won't
win the presidency just like Bush Derangement Syndrome failed to do so in
2004. I'm not thinking strategy anymore. I just want someone who has the
right stances on the issues of our day. The complicate part is that I don't know
who that is.

But if I were going to talk strategy, I think Sen. McCain might have point here:

“From what we see in the polls, there is a very good chance it could
be over on Tuesday,” said the Arizona senator, adding: “The sooner
we get that done, the sooner I can go to work on uniting the party."