Live Free or Die

That's always been the greatest state motto of all time. I have heard liberals state that they either don't like it -- too violent -- or they don't "get it." It strikes me that perhaps the only thing they want to die for is in the realm of self-interest. Now that certainly doesn't go for all liberals, of course, but there are an awful lot of liberals who are terrified of death. Perhaps they are scared of death since their religion is science. I cannot imagine facing this second half of my life thinking that this is all there is. What a deary existence.

But I digress.

New Hampshire sure did put a bunch of pundits and pollsters in their places, didn't it? And what did I say yesterday? That wins and losses would be misinterpreted and outcomes are not all they appear to be......remember?

New Hampshire is one bizarre state. Lovely place, but virtually unpredictable when it comes to voting patterns. Remember Bill Clinton's results there? And John McCain's victory in the last round? Fact is, a victory or a defeat in New Hampshire is not dispositive, it is merely an indicator of what messages are resonating with the "I vote for the person, not the party" crowd.

There was no one more surprised than Hillary Clinton last night, unless it was Barack Obama. The problem with believing punditry or your own press releases is the subjective nature of both. Now there is no doubt in the world that Barack Obama has a charisma that is astounding and he brings tons of otherwise apathetic young folks into the process, but perhaps those folks are there for the free eats rather than the loftier goals of the democratic process.

Now perhaps Hillary did know that there was going to be quite an upset because Sean Hannity called Mary Matalin to find out if the headlines of the day were true. According to Mary, her Ragin' Cajun hubby was not going to this Clinton campaign to film "War Room: The Reunion."
It is sort of a shame, too, because James would be the second most interesting person on that campaign team. Bill takes first place by far. He sure does want a second crack at that intern pool, now doesn't he?

Barack Hussein Obama, the Left's idea of Ronald Wilson Reagan but without the clear moral compass and the concise ideas that penetrated even the most cynical political animal and the overwhelming passion for the goodness of America and her people.......was supposed to put the stake in heart of the Clinton campaign. Based upon faulty polling, panting reporters who breathlessly reported from Obama campaign events and a whole lot of wishful thinking, it is clear that the graphics guys at the mainstream news departments had some scrambling to do to change their mistaken headlines reminiscent of "Dewey vs. Truman" quickly.

As for the Republicans, it was pretty clear that McCain had things sown up, but this is a really weird year and heaven knows that it is a pretty flawed field of players. Every one of them has problems that makes them less than ideal candidates despite their fervent desire to claim the "Reagan conservative" mantle.

Truth is, I am already popping popcorn for what is probably going to be a brokered convention. It would actually be kind of nice to have a bit of intrigue rather than the sappy, tired, trite, worn, dull speeches that make up conventions on both sides of the aisle. Is it any wonder that broadcast channels hesitate to change their regular programming for the dry, dull, boring, sing-song speeches that no one, not even the convention participants, actually listen to?

Injecting a bit of passion into things would be nice. A bit unscripted. A bit of humor, for once, people! Political types take themselves far, FAR too seriously.

So now we go to South Carolina where everyone claims an edge. Poll numbers I saw today go something like this........

Huckabee is way ahead of everyone else, much to the horror of anyone who is not a Christian conservative. Big debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C. tomorrow night.
Huckabee: 32%
McCain: 19%
Romney: 16%
Thompson: 9%
Giuliani: 9%

So here are a couple of questions. Was it really wise for Guiliani to sit out these past few rounds? How does one win a Republican primary with just New York and Los Angeles? Does McCain always poll at 19% in South Carolina (same number post NH against Bush 43, actually) despite spending lots of time hanging out in South Carolina with his number one lapdog, Lindsey Graham? How energized are the Huckabelievers and are those numbers solid? Is this Fred's last campaign effort or is he really planning to continue to stick it out?

So everyone chant with me now "Brokered convention, brokered convention, brokered convention, brokered convention..."

Not really a catchy beat, is it? Got to think of something clever for that....