Clinton didn't run in 2000, either
Oh Tom, c'mon. You know full well that what people look for in any given Presidential election depends very much on their opinion of the outbound incumbent. Remember in 2000 how Bush ran against Clinton with smarmy lines like "restoring honor to the White House"?
(Well, at least the interns have been safe for six years, if not the country.)
I don't put much stock in those hypothetical matchup polls this early. The one thing I am certain of is what I said about continuing to support Bush being the kiss of death for Republicans. Can you imagine how much worse Ford would have done in 1976 if he ran on a campaign of "carrying on Nixon's legacy"?