Edwards Withdrawl--

see attached article for information. Sorry Jean. I am sad to see this happen. he added a necessary voice to the debates.

Barack Obama responds to State of the Union

This speech is about 4 and a half minutes. It is worth the time.

Kathleen Sebelius

Okay, I was surprised when I her her name this morning as a Governor who would be endorsing Senator Obama in his presidential bid. I actually had to look her up and since she had only been referred to as 'Kansas Governor Sebelius' I was surprised to find she is a woman (see link).

I do not know the order in which these decisions are made but it seems the timing of her endorsement and her selection as the speaker to follow the president suggests that there is some deeper scheming going on in the core of the Democratic party.

So, does her selection suggest a stronger support growing in the democratic leadership for Obama's candidacy? And if so, given the perception of the Gvernor as a rising star in the party, what would she bring to an Obama ticket in '08?

I still like Richardson in that role and believe he brings depth, an ability to play to the right and his connection to the latino community as serious strengths.

The Democratic side of this election

Anyone who knows me or has read anything I've posted here knows that I'm a big supporter of John Edwards. And unless you've had your head buried in the sand or someplace else where the sun doesn't shine you also know that he is not doing well at all. There are a lot of reasons he's not getting the votes, some of which go way back to the last election and John Kerry but I think the main reason is because he's running at a time in our history that is unprecedented - running against a woman and a black man. This is the one time when a white man is the underdog in the race, the one time when the white man is really in the minority. I saw all three of them while they were campaigning in Iowa and they each bring their own style and uniqueness to the race. I like Obama and would happily vote for him. I also like Hillary but she would be my third choice. Edwards is my first choice because I truly believe his run for President is coming from his heart, it's truly a passion for him. I don't see that in Obama or Clinton. I believe it's more of an ambition for both of them.

My point in this post. Edwards is saying he will not drop out of the race, that he's in it until the convention. I guess time and money will tell on that but if he does stay in until the convention what's your opinion on why and what is his strategy? The media is saying he could be a "king-maker" and if that's the case who do you think will be the beneficiary?

Please participate in the sidebar poll about the future of "A Page That Aches"

please participate also in the poll on "Page Too"

Here are some recent picures of Bailey...

and one of Boone.

Bailey has adjusted to his new household very well. As you can see he is getting very large (17 lbs for a 5 month old pug). Since the typical pug (that isn't fat) weighs from 14-18 lbs I think it is safe to say Bailey will come in on the larger side of that scale- and then some. By the photo on the side panel you can see that he is getting the hang of what 'outside' is for and, like me, has strong political opinions. He has the same reaction to Barry Manilow music.

Boone is finally adjusting to having a puppy around. He went through a bit of depression at the loss of Reuben. They were truly great buds. He is starting to accept the notion of Bailey as a substitute. He is also adjusting to the idea of finally being alpha dog.

Boone put on a few pounds again during Reuben's illness- he ate all the food that Reuben wouldn't touch- so He is on a strict diet again.

I've taken the day off from commenting on the political events of the weekend but will have an opinion or two to add in the next few days. But for now enjoy the photos.

Could This Man Solve Hillary's Problems?

I've always liked Harold Ford. He is among the more conservative of the Dems in Congress. As a running mate he would bring many qualities that Hillary is lacking.

Don't get me wrong- I want to see the primaries play out and still believe Obama to be preferable to Hillary. But if Ford were older I would prefer him to the other two.

I saw this and who could resist?

Billary Clinton --- This is too scary/true.

As If We Didn't Know (click)

Remember the days when our president only lied about sex or other 'none of your business' type questions.

The Bill and Hillary Show

Okay, I think this needs to be said. And I say this as someone who remains committed to ultimately support the nominated candidate with a 'D' behind their name. I say it also as someone who occasionally gets concerned about the negatives that will be flung by the eventual candidate on the other side. I also say this because it reaffirms a concern that keeps cropping in regarding a Clinton candidacy in the general election.

I remain convinced that a Mitt Romney or John McCain or Mike Huckabee or even Guiliani would rather face Hillary Clinton than face Barrack Obama. I believe this to be true because any pundit with an 'R' behind their name has been presuming Clinton to be the candidate for the past three years and they all talk (with supposed candor) about what a hard opponent she would be to face. But, after years of Clinton bashing, how can we believe this attitude is sincere?

Isn't it more likely that, by ringing the 'inevitable' bell for Hillary, they believe they can con the masses into putting forth the candidate they can trash for almost a year and ultimately beat.

Whether this presumption is accurate or not remains to be seen. But Bill Clinton's attitude is not helping.

Twice now (New Hampshire and Nevada) Bill Clinton has gone into defense mode prior to the contests. He has criticized process, challenged procedures, attacked the media, attacked their closest rival and attacked the intelligence of their rivals supporters.

In both cases the Clintons ultimately triumphed in the contested state revealing his antics as altogether unnecessary. In the process, the media paints an image of a divided democratic party and the general electorate is reminded of a very negative side of an otherwise popular former president.

For me, Clinton Fatigue is real. To move this country in a new direction will take a leader with guts and vision. It will take a leader who can move beyond the rhetoric of the past.

Setting aside the qualities of any individual candidate I am concerned that the Republicans will make it difficult to get that message across. Further, it works to their advantage if they can change the discussion away from today's issues and dwell on the past.

Bill Clinton's soft underbelly makes him a delicious target for his enemies, especially the ones who sit on their fat buts in front of microphones for a living.

I have no doubt any candidate with a 'D' behind their name will have to endure endless attacks. It may throw the attack machine off their game a bit if they are required to write new material.

Norm Coleman is a One- Trick Pony

This article is perhaps a bit dated but it raises the interesting point about the way this guy campaigns. Specifically, it points out that the 'charges' hes weighs against Franken are exactly the same ones made against Paul Wellstone in 2002.

Maybe Coleman lacks the creativity or the courage (no balls) to try a fresh approach to campaigning. Or perhaps he is using this tired tactic because he has no record to run on.

Check out these ads--

Al Franken for Senate they are the first of Al's campaign.

The fluffy senator who currently holds that Minnesota seat responded with something about how mean spirited and negative Al is. Watch the ads and see if you agree. There is also a spot to contribute if you are so inclined.

Romney in Michigan ---

no surprise really, but it makes for an interesting race on the Republican side with no clear front-runner.

Clinton was virtually unopposed in Michigan in a race that absolutely has no effect in the delegate count.

The debate is going on right now among the Democratic candidates. Ten minutes in I expect it to degrade into a hug fest.

My computer is low on power and my adapter is broken so I will reflect more on the debate tomorrow.

My take on New Hampshire

Okay, we are all sick of the pundits talking about New Hampshire as if they have a clue about what happened. The most obscene of these is Chris Matthews contention that people lied to pollsters about their intentions to vote for Obama.

Keith Olberman on Msnbc probably got this one right.

Last night he showed a sampling of 6 different polls that showed Obama taking in 35-37 percent of the vote. He ultimately took in 37%. Seems the polls could not have been better regarding Obama.

The polls got Clinton wrong. This would appear to suggest that the high voter turnout brought newcomers to Hillary's camp in larger numbers than the pollsters imagined.

So, there was no real surprise in New Hamshire for Obama. The media does enjoy these things. It gives them something to talk about in a 24 hour news cycle.

The reality after Tuesday is the same as it was before. Obamais front-runner on the Dem's side (from the standpoint of most delegates). Hillary and Barack are virtually tied in the National polls.

On the Republican side, Huckabee is the top delegate holder at this time. He is also fairing quite well according to the national polls.

My only hope is that people are taking the opportunity to check over all of the candidates so they can make an informed decision.

New Look

I LOVE this new look. It's much easier on the eyes.

I have some thoughts on the NH outcome, will try to post them tomorrow.

Richardson to withdraw from Presidential Race

Too bad, really. He was always my favorite, even though he had no chance of winning.
I also believe he would be a strong candidate as a VP nominee. He brings foreign policy cred as well as a demonstrated popularity among 'red state' people.

I will miss his contributions (however brief they were) to the debates.

Rudy Guliani should never be our president-

Here's why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMAfnJIFB-c. This clip comes from his speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. Pay particular attention to his comments at the 6 minute mark and forward. This is where he learned to pepper all of his speeches with 9/11. Most astounding (and I said so when I first heard it at the time) is the comment at about the 8 minute mark.

As mayor, watching the chaos that was 9/11 happening in his city, Rudy Guliani said "I thank God that George W Bush is our president."

I challenge the veracity of this "recollection." But even more frightening is this statement if it is true. Scarier still is the notion that anyone who is a serious contender for the white house would have admitted such a position in 2004- after GW Bush exploited 9/11 to get us into an ill-fated and unnecessary war in Iraq.

If you doubt me, watch the man speak the words for himself. At the time, I called him a seven letter compound word that was a favorite of candidate Bush when referring to a member of the the media. My assessment hasn't changed.

Guliani has demonstrated a consistent ability to exploit 9/11 that rivals even the current administration.

Rudy Guliani renames "War on Terror"

On "Morning Joe" on MSNBC Rudy Guliani did a very subtle thing. Look for him to continue to do it and see how fast Fox news picks up on it. He referred to the "War on Terror" as "The Terrorist War on Us."

He may think that clever. He may even think that it is a more accurate assessment. But in reality, "Terrorist War on Us" implies that we are still the victims. It implies also that the terrorists are much more organized than the are (or should be after 6+ years of being supposedly thrown off their game by our effective Iraq strategy).

I hope this new name doesn't pick up momentum. Whatever Rudy's advisors think they are achieving by doing this I fear a very negative outcome (which may in fact be their plan). If our leaders can place us once again in the position of victim of the world ( a tough sell on the global stage) they can justify, as recent history suggests, just about any atrocity against created enemies simply by lumping them in to this nebulous 'terrorist' label.

There are many, many reasons to not vote for Guliani. Add this scary rhetoric to the list.

Presidential Campaign Humor

I will let you be the judge of whether or not this is funny but it has been in the news the past few weeks. This is a Minnesota Guy trying to make a buck while the market exists. Click link above>

"Norm Coleman Has No Balls"

MN GOP PRESS RELEASE: “FRANKEN’S YOU TUBE MOMENT”
By Michael B. Brodkorb December 19, 2007
The Republican Party of Minnesota has released a press release blasting comments made by Larry David about U.S. Senator Norm Coleman while David was speaking at a fundraiser for Al Franken's campaign.

St. Paul - Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey today issued the following statement regarding Hollywood liberal Larry David’s negative personal attacks on Senator Norm Coleman and Al Franken’s response.
"Last night at a ritzy fundraiser for Al Franken in Minneapolis, Hollywood liberal Larry David personally attacked Senator Norm Coleman in language offensive to all Minnesotans. Franken promised he would run a positive, issue oriented campaign but his laughing reaction to David’s personal attacks again shows why he lacks the maturity, temperament and judgment necessary for the U.S. Senate."
###
Click here to watch video of Larry David’s attack on Senator Norm Coleman and Al Franken’s response: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3EmPYkCr8Q

Coleman and his brainless followers claim to be engaging in a serious campaign. Yet, they are going to spend the next ten months - first flooding us with and then commenting on - such mundane drivel.

Apparently, It is Al Franken's fault that Larry David said what he said. And worse yet, Al laughed. No speculation on whether this was the kind of uncomfortable laugh one might engage in when a guest makes an off color joke in front of the children. And one might also comment on the hypocrisy of a Republican- the ilk who support the vile spewing Dick Cheney ( remember his "f-bomb' on the senate floor) or the brasen attitude of ol' W. "He's an Asshole!"

Larry David, by contrast, said that "Norm Coleman, on the other hand, has no balls... he doesn't even have one ball." As a comedian supporting a friend and apparenntly speaking to entertain the crowd he said, "Norm Coleman, on the other hand, has no balls... "

Something before hand, such as the context in which this comment is offered, must make it very amusing because on its own it is just not so funny. The indication that something else exists is the "on the other hand' part of the quote.

I had the opportunity to attend this supposedly glamorous high -dollar fundraiser but had a scheduling conflict. I think it was for contributors who contributed $100 or more. It was nothing like the $1500/person handshake with the Prez that Coleman put on last summer. If it were the sort of high end fundraiser that the GOP is implying I would not have even known about it.

Follow the link to see for yourself- although I have described the clip and the quote pretty accurately- and you will see this is a something of nothing moment of the part of Coleman- who is obviously running scared. Perhaps as a result of his ball deficit. But maybe not.

If the clip is to be taken on its face and indeed there was not some double meaning or other way that the quote becomes more humorous, it is fair to say that the attack is unfounded.

I have not seen Norm Coleman's balls, nor would I want to. But I can assume they are probably there. What else could Cheney be holding on to that would make Norm such a puppet for this current administration?

ABC Debates last night

I thought this debate between Clinton, Obama, Edwards and Richardson was the best so far. Best in format, best in moderator and best in context. My only complaint would be that they included Richardson. I felt he took valuable time away from the other three. He not only took time away he kept going on and on and on and kept repeating himself. I really like Charles Gibson's way of letting them talk yet keeping it under control unlike Carolyn Washburn from the Des Moines Register. The IDIOT with a big ego who moderated the DSM Register debate.

Edwards, Obama and Clinton all looked and sounded great. Of course my first choice would be Edwards, then Obama and then Hillary but I will have to say that I would be happy and could live with any of them in the White House.

My ticket choice would be Edwards/Obama but it would more than likely be Obama/Edwards but in saying that I don't know if Obama would pick Edwards since he was on a losing ticket just four years ago and even if he did Edwards has continually said he would not take a VP offer.

I watched the Republican debate as well and again was impressed with Huckabee. I think this guy is for real. Like Jon if I were to vote Republican (very, very unlikel) he would be my choice if for no other reason than I think he's a honest man and I like his way with words, his personality and his humor.

Inside An Iowa Caucus

Inside an Iowa Caucus

(Warning - this is very long)

I’m a big supporter of John Edwards. I caucused for him in 2004 and again this past Thursday. The difference this time was that I was a precinct captain for Edwards, which means that it was my job to gather all of the Edward’s supporters that were in my precinct on caucus night and then represent them during the meeting.

How did I become a captain? In 2004 I did a lot of volunteering for John Edwards – phone calls, mailings and a little bit of on foot canvassing. This time around I didn’t do as much – very busy at work, we just moved into a new home in September so I’ve been kept busy decorating and then add to that some minor health problems. So a couple of weeks ago I was finally able to do a little bit of volunteering on the phone. I made calls from a union hall in Des Moines. The hall is located in a very industrial and very poor area of Des Moines. I walked in and saw a room lined with 5 or 6 tables all set up school room fashion. On one side of each table were chairs and in front of each chair were phones that had been set up temporarily just to make the campaign calls. And of course on one side of each table were all of these phone lines and cords hanging every which way. The day I worked, about half the staff making calls were volunteers who came there every day and worked 16-18 hours a day. A few were from out of state. They had moved to Des Moines temporarily to work for Edwards. The rest of us were volunteers who were volunteering a few hours here and there. Other than the ones from out of state, the rest of us were “locals” and we represented all walks of life. I didn’t meet all of the volunteers but the ones I did meet broke down this way. One was an attorney, one a nurse, another one a truck driver, a farmer, a stay at home mom, an airline pilot, a cook from McDonalds and myself. When I left the union hall the day I volunteered I told them that if anyone in my area needed a ride to the caucus to call me.

Well, last Thursday, the day of the caucus, I received a phone call at around noon asking me if I would be willing to be the precinct captain because the woman who was going to do just didn’t want the responsibility. I hesitated because my nephew was a captain for Edwards at another precinct and I knew that he had went to at least one meeting teaching him what he needed to do. They assured me I could do it and that I would have help from a volunteer who was here from California.

I left work a little early so I could go to a local union hall to pick up my packet of “stuff” for the caucus. There was an Edwards’s campaign office in downtown Des Moines but the union hall was where the phone banks had been set up for the Edwards campaign. The hall is located in a very industrial and very poor area of Des Moines. I drove up the building expecting to just get out of my car and walk in but instead there were probably 50-75 cars parked all over the area which means I had to walk in heels on icy streets to even get inside. Once inside the young man (volunteer) who had called me directed me to his area of this big open room and gave me the packet I needed to “captain” the caucus. A few weeks ago when I worked in that same building it was very busy but for some reason I thought on the day of the caucus it wouldn’t be but I was wrong. There on those same tables I worked a few weeks ago were volunteers making the same calls I had made. Calling to be sure that voters had rides and that they were still committed to Edwards and also calls to non Edward’s supporters trying to get their vote. As I started to leave the young man who instructed me on the being a captain told me to walk around and talk to others in the room and to go say hello to John’s family. I looked around and then I saw his parents and noticed John’s two kids – Emma Claire and Jack – running around. I couldn’t see myself going to up them so I just decided to leave but as I was getting closer to the door someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around and was looking at a woman who said, “thank you for whatever help you’re giving John tonight.” I told her it was my pleasure and that I was hoping that he was going to win. She then said, “I’m John’s sister.” I stood there for a second trying to comprehend what she had just said. I then said, “John Edward’s sister??” And she said “yes, and this is my husband.” I shook both of their hands and as I was doing that John’s mother walked up to us. She also shook my hand and also thanked me for helping John. As I’m talking to the three of them his mom motioned for her husband, John’s dad, to come over so then I got to meet him and he also thanked me. After a short time John’s parents walked away and started talking to someone else but I stood there and talked to John’s sister and brother in law for what seemed like a very long time to me – probably 10 minutes. They asked a lot about me and a lot about Des Moines and Iowa. They kept complimenting Iowans and how kind everyone was. They told me they lived in Maryland and had come to Des Moines to support John in his bid for the White House. I asked them if John and Elizabeth were going to be coming because I thought if they are my husband and dinner would just have to wait. They said that both of them had been there earlier in the day and that there were out meeting other volunteers in the area. As we were talking John’s kids were running around, screaming and carrying on like a normal 6 and 8 year old. When I went to leave John’s mother came back up to me and gave me a hug and again thanked me for “whatever you’re doing to help John.” She also asked if I was coming to the victory speech downtown at the hotel. I told her no, that I had to work tomorrow but she assured that it was not going to be a late night because John was taking off to New Hampshire around 11:00 PM. As I was driving home thinking about what had just happened the one thing that stood out above everything else was that they, meaning John’s parents as well as his sister and brother in law, were just everyday people. Just like you or me. Even to how there were dressed, sweat pants, jeans, flannel shirt. His brother in law had a suit jacket on but his sister was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. It was quite the experience.

Now on to the caucus itself. I live in a suburb of Des Moines, Pleasant Hill, which because of new homes has grown dramatically in the last few years. I would estimate the population here at approximately 9,000-10,000 people. Because of the growth they had to set up a second caucus site for the democrats. We met at our local youth center. The other democratic site was at a grade school and the Republicans met at the club house at our local golf course, Copper Creek.

The rules of the Democratic caucus state that everyone who wants to participate in the caucus has to be inside the building at the precinct site by 7:00 PM because at 7:00 PM the doors are locked, no one else is allowed in at that point. The doors actually open at 6:00 but because I was a precinct captain we were allowed in at 5:30. I arrived early because I wanted Edwards’s signs, buttons, flyers, stickers etc there for his supporters and I wanted to get all of that organized, which I did. I set everything up in the far back corner of the room, got a table and got some chairs set up in my area.

Remember me telling you earlier that I was supposed to have an Edwards volunteer from California to help me? Well, I didn’t know that I was supposed to pick her up so when I was only about 5 minutes from the caucus site she calls me. She didn’t want me to be late getting things set up so she said she would just have the hotel shuttle drive her to the site. Well the driver was not familiar with my area so while I’m trying to get everything set up I’m on my cell phone giving him turn by turn directions to where we were. Marie finally got there and was able to help for a while but as you will see later in this story she was not available to help me.

At 6:00 voters were allowed in the doors. The first thing we all had to do was to sign in. If your name is on the list the county provided to our precinct then all you have to do is to sign up and indicate who, if anyone, you are supporting. If you haven’t decided you leave that blank and then you are considered an “undecided.” If someone came in as an Independent or Republican then they had to re-register as a Democrat knowing that they can change back later. Of course along with myself there were precinct captains there for all the other candidates as well. I guess I need to clarify that – there were just three of us. One each for Clinton, Obama, Richardson and then of course Edwards. There was nobody there for Dodd or Biden.

Part of my job as captain was to greet those that were there for Edwards and get them back to our little area of the room. There was such a big crowd that the signing in took a lot longer than the organizers planned so before everyone got signed in and in there candidates area (those undecided stayed together) the precinct chairperson brought the meeting to order. The “business” part of the caucus probably took about 15 minutes. During that time they explained the caucus rules and took questions. One of those rules are that before we begin the voting process anyone who is in the room as a visitor, meaning they were not an Iowa registered voter, had to leave the candidates area and go the front of the room by the precinct chair person. So those who brought kids or other visitors were then separated which meant that my helper from California, Marie, had to leave our group. More on Marie later.

In the Democratic caucus each candidate has to become “viable” for their votes to count. Viability means that they have to have enough votes to meet 15% of the total voters at that caucus. In our caucus site there were 237 voters (double of what it was in 2004) which means that each candidate had to have at least 36 votes (they round up) to have their candidate counted. This is done in 3 steps/3 votes.

Before I get the steps involved I just have to comment on the excitement and enthusiasm that was present in each candidates group, although because we had more people we were louder than the others. Someone started a chant, “Go John Go.” And it just kept getting louder and louder. Then Obama’s people started saying “Obama Oh 8” and it kept getting louder and louder. Someone on our group started “John Edwards is our man” and it just got louder and louder. And this went on off and on all evening.

After the visitors were moved to the front of the room the chair person gave each candidate 10 minutes to come up with our first vote. Well, it was obvious from the very start that Edwards had more people there than the other candidates which made it difficult to get an exact count. One of the Edwards supporters was an older guy who has lived in Pleasant Hill for many, many years so he offered to help me and what a huge help he was. We had everyone that was there for Edwards raise their hands and then as we counted them they put there hand down. It was still chaotic but we were able to get a first vote count. We had 75 votes on the first vote so we knew that we easily were viable. Clinton and Obama were also viable but Richardson was not. They only had 33 people there for him. I should add that there were two there for Dodd and they left before the voting even started.

So after the first vote the precinct chair person gave all the groups 15 minutes to try increase their votes by trying to convince people in other candidates groups change candidates. And of course the one really trying to do this was Richardson’s group because if they didn’t gain 3 more votes they would not be viable. If they aren’t viable by the 2^nd vote then they have the choice to move to another candidate or sit on their Richardson candidate but not have their votes counted. Not only were all of us going after Richardson’s people to move to Edwards but all of us (Obama’s and Clinton’s group) were also going after the “undecided” trying to convince them that Edwards or Obama or Clinton was the right choice. There was a lot of issues being talked about which is what makes the whole caucus experience so much fun. You need to know the issues if you want to try to convince a Richardson supporter or an undecided to come join up with Edwards. I had a lot of help with that. There were two young men, probably 20 years old who were over there pounding the issues with people. There were also others who were very passionate about Edwards and what he is trying to do and they were over there helping.

After the 2^nd vote we actually increased our number to 79 – we had pulled a couple of people from the Richardson camp to our camp and also convinced a couple of those who were undecided. Not sure what Obama or Clinton had at this point. It was so crazy trying to count the heads in our group that you couldn’t see what was happening anyplace else. Again, to be sure we did the raising of the hands to count. Richardson’s people were not viable so then began the 3^rd vote.

During the 3^rd vote it got even crazier because everyone knew this vote would be the final one. We had another 15 minutes and we had decided that we didn’t want to count everyone again so we set up 3 people who acted as gatekeepers for our Edwards group. As we convinced others to join us they the gatekeepers kept everyone we already had behind them and as others joined us they added them to the 79 we knew we had. At the beginning of the 3^rd vote there were still about 25 people who were either for Richardson or undecided and of course Obama’s and Clinton’s people were after them just like we were. But we came out the winners – we picked up another 17 people which brought out total to 96 people there for Edwards. Obama ended up with 72, Clinton with 65 and then there 4 Richardson supporters who refused to move so their votes didn’t count.

There is a calculation process they use to come up with the delegates and after we did all of that Edwards had 3 delegates going to the Polk County Convention and there were 2 delegates each for Clinton and Obama.

After the votes were counted and verified each precinct captain had to call in the total votes and delegate number into their candidates’ headquarters. In addition the chair had to report those same numbers to the state and then someone somewhere matches them all up.

The last step was to nominate the delegates to the county convention. The two young men I spoke of earlier volunteered along with another man who was maybe 45 years old. Now those three will go to the county convention this summer.

Back to Marie. During this whole thing she was at the front of the room watching this all take place. After it was over she came over and gave everyone big hugs and was extremely happy with the outcome. She asked me and my sister who was with me to come to the party at the hotel but we didn’t go. I did give her ride to the hotel and on the way there I learned a lot more about her. She is an attorney in California, the LA area and she has a very, very famous last name. She is as cute as can be, petite, dark hair and she is in her late 30’s. On the way to the hotel she called both of her parents, who live in Sherman Oaks, and was telling them about her first caucus experience. I found out that she has been volunteering for John Edwards since 2002. Her plans were to fly home to California the following morning but we heard her on the phone say, “Dad, I know I told you I would be home tomorrow but instead I’m going to try to get a flight to New Hampshire in the morning which means the soonest I’ll be home is next Wednesday.” She gave me her business card and asked me to call her in a few weeks. I don’t know if she is related to the famous person who has her last name but I plan on asking her when I make that call.

So there you have it - a view of an Iowa caucus from the inside. Some people argue that a caucus is such an odd way of picking a presidential candidate and that may be true BUT what other time in today’s hectic and shaded world can you take a couple hours of your time, go into a room with your neighbors and in a peaceful and fun environment talk politics and then have those discussions culminate into a vote for the President of the United States.

Excuse my typos and any other mis-steps I may have made.

Okay, this is disturbing...

All over the Net folks are commenting about the political happenings in the US. And everyone has an opinion- or so you would think.

I found this little posting on another board and could feel my blood begin to boil.

"They are starting way to early, and neither party has a favorite candidate. Winners will change from state to state. I just wish we had some one really strong and experienced in world politics as well as a good financial background and strong (not a flip flopper)on border control! For whatever reason, none of these people appeal to me. I hope things look up as time goes on. Just my .02!"

Perhaps things got started earlier because people are so fed up with a completely non responsive government that has trampled on our rights at every turn.

With fifteen contenders between the two main parties I find it astonishing that anyone could say they don't have a favorite. There might be concerns about each individual but we certainly have had ample opportunity to learn about who these people are.

That having been said, I am not at all surprised by the outcome in Iowa. Both Obama and Huckabee are well spoken, warm and charming, likeable and appear thoughtful. Both have been critical of the current administration as well.

I am singularly impressed with Huckabee's ability to criticize his opponents- on both sides- while still demonstrating (what seems to be) genuine respect for those same individuals.

Both Obama and Huckabee are consistent in their message about changing the way politics is done.

If you have been living in a cave and don't have opinions about a slate of people who have been on the road and in the press- and in our living rooms-for an unprecedented amount of time, stop complaining and use your computer, tv or news paper.

The process, as long as it has become, provides us with (what is still) the best opportunity in the world to shape our own future.

Huckabee and Obama win in Iowa

Yeah, its only Iowa. But still, Obama winning is historic.
I was also commenting earlier that if I had to vote for a Republican it would be (at this time) Huckabee.

Now, it is very clear that this is nowhere hear finished. Both the Republicans and the Democrats are in very tight races. So, for political junkies, this is going to be a fun couple of months.

Now let's suppose- as I am sure it will be presented in various ways- that Huckabee and Obama go head to head in November. I have no idea what the outcome of that election woud be but I believe it would be an interesting conversation.

I am sure I will have more to say later- but for now- let the fun begin.

Bigger, Longer, Better -- Fresh

I couldn't help but tune in to the 'Tonight Show with Jay Leno.' I didn't know what to expect. I knew Letterman had his writers back but I haven't found him to be funny for a very long time.

Leno wrote his own material for the monologue which went longer than it usually does. He was fresh and was obviously more committed to the material. It wasn't fall- on- the- floor funny, but it didn't suck either.

He followed up with a spontaneous 'questions from the audience' segment. The answers didn't always match the questions but you got a sense of what Leno is probably like on the road.

I hope the writers get a fair contract. I also understand the need to get all the other people back to work. If the first half hour of this show is any indication I think we might see a long overdue evolution of the format that has been too common place for too long.