What will the 2008 election be about?

We all know that every candidate has his or her pet issues and ideas that he or she bases his or her campaign on. Sure, there's the laundry list of who stands where on which issue, but most elections are decided on one or two basic ideas, and the winner is the one who represents the right side of the right issue best.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan ultimately campaigned on restoring a sense of direction and a sense of pride to the U.S. He was re-elected in 1984 on the strength of his first-term success.
In 1988, George H.W. Bush campaigned on "staying the course" of the still very popular Reagan.
In 1992, Bill Clinton overcame Bush's (short-lived) 92% approval rating with the simple argument, "it's the economy, stupid!" During Bush's tenure, the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union was dissolved and Operation Desert Storm took place. But that couldn't overcome a soft economy.
In 1996, Clinton was re-elected on the basis of a strong economy against a lame-duck Bob Dole, who campaigned on a vague return to Reagan glory.
In 2000, George W. Bush and Al Gore fought to essentially a dead heat. Bush ultimately campaigned on restoring dignity and morality to the White House (following the Lewinsky affair), while Gore ultimately campaigned on staying the Clinton course.
In 2004, Bush campaigned on national security and beat John Kerry's stance of "I'm not George Bush." The war was unpopular enough that the "I'm not George Bush" gambit almost worked.

So what does this mean for 2008? For starters, Bush has not designated an heir apparent, so "stay the course" is essentially not an option. Now, many candidates share many of Bush's views, but they have to repackage them and re-sell them in order to make it work.

Different candidates are starting to carve out different niches. Themes being raised so far include national security, the war in Iraq, national health care, gas prices and the economy at large. It's too soon to say which is going to win out, but I'm willing to bet that the winner will be focusing either on the economy or on health care than on the Iraq situation.