State of the Race

Now that we're inside three weeks (although who but the ultimate political junkies care about caucuses and primaries during Christmas and bowl season???) to go till the first votes are cast in this interminable election cycle, here's what I see:

For the Democrats, Hillary shows every sign of being a hemophiliac. Without the aura of inevitability, what else does she have to offer? Sorry, but being first lady is not exerience in leading a government (even if it's part of a two for one sale). Obama continues to be dogged by people who object to color--in this case the raw green of inexperience and callowness. The Breck Girl is hanging around the fringes hoping for an opening. But it ain't looking good for Mr. Edwards...and that's before the National Enquirer (run of course by a former Clinton crony--not that this fact means anything) drops another bomb on him. Cheating on a wife fighting cancer is not exactly the recipe for electoral success.

The GOP side is an even bigger mess. The liberal Guliaini is finding it hard to close the sale. The maverick McCain is trying to rise from the dead, but elephants have long memories. Thompson never has caught fire, although there are embers flickering here and there. The Mormon Mitt is not a conservative. Never has been. Never will be. For Orrin Hatch, I'd vote--for this guy, not so much. Finally, Huckabee is riding high. But we've already tried a small state Southern governor from the liberal wing of the Southern Baptist Convention who didn't know anything about economics or foreign policy. So unless you liked Jimmy Carter, don't vote for Huck. He's strongly pro-life, but he's wrong on everything else.

In a better world, Duncan Hunter, the only man in the race who is a solid, committed, experienced, proven conservative with a record of leadership would be running away with this thing. Sadly as we all know, that's not the case. It is still my intention to vote for him (assuming he's still in the race by February 5). If Hunter's out, I'll reluctantly take Thompson as the best of a poor field.