I've been following Mike Pence since that stunt that he and about 15 other GOP representatives pulled earlier this year. The one where they all stood in front of the Congress and demanded that the speaker call the House back in to session. 
He was one of that stunt and, in retrospect, that camera ready protest could  be regarded as genesis of the present right wing strategy in use today. I see that move as an early attempt to delegitimatize  the current administration and Proof that the GOP would rather tear the whole thing down than give even an inch.
Well, Pence is now starting to speak alot like Peggy Noonan is writing for him. Here's an excerpt from an article in yesterday's NYTimes that covered the Values Voters Summit:

"While some are prepared to write the obituary on our values and our movement, I believe we are on the brink of a great American awakening," Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana, said at the summit, raising cheers from the crowd in the room. "I believe we are on the brink of a great American awakening. I can see it. I can feel it wherever I go."

It sound alot like "morning in America" all over again. Pence is photogenic, well spoken and comes across, in my opinion, as far more approachable than Eric Cantor. He'a a frequent guest on Morning Joe and it may just be that the 2 of them turn ou to be the  leading contenders for 2012
Here's another short excerpt from the article that gives you a feel for the direction the GOP is turning in: 

 The crowd rose to its feet to applaud Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California who caused a furor by denouncing same-sex marriage at the Miss USA contest, as she declared that "God chose me" to make the case she made (against gay marriage).

Kinda gives you a feel for who was there. 
Pence is definitely the man to watch, and I believe he'd ne a far more effective challenger than anyone else the GOP currently has out there.  Here's link to the piece:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/us/politics/19memo.html?th&emc=