Obama Leader?

While the New York Times is close to pronouncing Obama the democrats candidate, Hillary looks ahead in Ohio, Pennsylvania, maybe Texas, and likely to get Florida and Michigan in a floor fight. That is a big bloc.

Huckabee is continuing on in part because has nothing else to do. Who wants to go back to hope Arkansas?

Biden is out raising money to pay off his campaign debt. Too bad, he at least had a plan thought out to leave Iraq.

New Hampshire: The Morning After

John McCain, war hero and maverick Republican senator, had been pronounced dead in his campaign for president. Now he has won a major victory in flinty New Hampshire overcoming Romney, Huckabee and Giulani. He has always run well in that state and he gave an impassionate and patriotic victory speech. Meanwhile. Hillary Clinton also overcame the pundits and talking heads and beat Obama. She apparently drew large numbers of women, a group that had somewhat deserted her in Iowa, and carried the large working class cities of Nashua and Manchester. As the nation slips into recession, the bread and butter Democrats are more likely to turn out over the inspirational Democrats. Clinton is the only major Democrat in the Michigan campaign; McCain and Romney will have a major battle there.

What the Iowa Results Mean for the Candidates

Iowa voters chose Governor Huckabee and Senator Obama in their caucuses tonight. In defeating Governor Romney, Huckabee won very substantial numbers of Republican fundamentalist Christians. Obama's victory was due to strong support of young Democratic voters in a state where the young are leaving in droves.

Now what is in store in New Hampshire? Senator McCain has resurrected his campaign and looks strong in the Granite State. Can Romney afford to lose there too? He will not carry South Carolina. Hillary has a strong national organization and lots of money, but the myth of invincibility is gone. In Iowa, at least people of both parties voted for change over alleged experience.

Hillary Lags

In the new survey done by Zogby, Clinton trails McCain 42-38; Giuliani 43 to40, and Romney 43-40. Hillary also laggs behind Huckabee by 44 to 39 and Thompson by 44 to 40 percentage. The Democrats have the 08 election to blow.

Tancredo and Regula Leave the House. Is Huckabee Packing Any Heat?

In the House, Republican Congressman, Tom Tancredo, has announced that he will not seek reelection. He has made a career out of stoking anti-immigrant fervor. What boat at Plymouth harbor did the Tancredos come in on?

Also leaving is Ralph Regula who has been a very conservative voice in education and now sees himself as a consultant to students in the future. The content of those consultations is a mystery.

More interesting is the notion that Governor Huckebee of Arkansas has been attacked for being too liberal. It appears that he is at heart a social conservative, a preaching minister, but also has taken some positions that are somewhat populist in nature, especially on the concentrating of wealth in the United States. I think that his best statement was telling Chris Matthews that the way to prevent violence on college campuses is to allow all students to pack guns. As a former college president, I can not imagine anything worse than my students packing iron on their way to psych 101 at 8 am after a bender on Thursday night. Sometimes, one has to come out of the Ozarks.

Lastly, Mike Gravel is not being allowed to be a part of the new Democrat debate on October 30.