So You Want to Be President

Better brush up on your negative ads.

From McSweeneys

Equal Time: Who's the Republican VP

Some interesting choices here in this list.

The GOP Veep Sweepstakes

Somebody's Going to Be Sent to the Woodshed

Really, is anyone surprised? Well, alright, maybe if you are clueless to start with . . .

McClellan's tell all book rankles Bush White House

No. Really, He's Old

And here is an entire blog devoted to telling you who or what is younger than John McCain.

Some of the things from the blog:

1. FM Radio
2. Keith Richards
3. Superman
4. Mount Rushmore
5. Both of Barack Obama's parents (and they're dead now)
6. Bugs Bunny
7. 49 of the 50 US Governors (thanks Ruth Ann Minner - D, DE)
   
8. The Golden Gate Bridge
9. The TV Dinner
10. Scrabble
    

Because You Don't Care About Anyone But Yourself?

Why I Continue to Run - Hillary Rodham Clinton

Democratic VP Spot Open Thread

From the 2008 Democratic Convention blog.

Who Will Be the VP for Obama?

When Obama Wins . . .

click here for lots of options

The Democratic Race in Seven Minutes

and you know it hasn't been heaven . . .

While We Wait

Yes, it goes on. Pennsylvania did not end it as many of us hoped. It's on to Indiana and North Carolina.

And yes I know it's been a while. I'm just so tired of it all. I'll try to be better. Maybe there will be some live blogging during the conventions, at least the Democratic one is sure to be interesting.

While we (and Senator McCain) wait, here's a little reading on the current Oval Office Occupant, from Harper's Magazine.

George Bush is the Worst President Ever.

It's a Math Problem

Stop. Please. I don't care about the phone and whose there to pick it up. You people don't answer your own phones anyway. Stop. Yes, I understand that your husband wants back in. I like him (probably more than you do). You can make all the arguments you want. Sure, you've won the big states but those are states that would have voted for you anyway. My guy is winning in those states that normally vote red. He's winning traditional democratic voters. You're winning in states where Republicans are allowed to cross over and vote for you because they know you'll lose to Senator McCain.

Stop. Please. Did you not do well in math? You can't get there. Please don't reduce my party to rubble over superdelegates. All those people out there who are voting for my guy? They may not vote for you because you've been pretty nasty.

Stop. Please. Go back to the Senate. Be the Queen. We'll even make you the first woman Senate Majority Leader. Just, please, stop.

Go ahead, try any of them. You'll see. The numbers aren't there.

CNN Delegate Counter

Slate Delegate Calculator

MSNBC Primaries Sheet

Well that's one nominee

So we know who the Republican nominee will be. Hang on a sec, let me grab a forkful of crow here. I left John McCain for dead last year, along with most people. But McCain rose from the ashes of his own political campaign and snatched the nomination of his party away from those on the far right. And he pretty much did it without their help.

Today, McCain traveled back to Washington, where he met with President Bush. There is nothing more that brings joy to Democrats then to see the two of them arm in arm at the White House. The longer we can tag him as a Republican, the better. So it's a good thing that he is one, isn't it? Let's try and remember that, OK? Besides, he shouldn't be able to serve as president, right?

The next big thing will be to see who McCain picks as his running mate. Larry Sabato, who runs his "Crystal Ball" out at the University of Virginia, had a good article with McCain's choices.

As a Democrat, I am certainly troubled at the direction of my party. This race needs to be over and in my next post, I will go over that in a little more detail. But bottom line is, waiting is bad, because my party can't decide on a nominee and the other party has theirs and he gets to sit back and wait.

Quick Presidential Quiz Answers

So how'd you do? Here are the answers.

1) Who was the first President to be photographed?

• John Adams
  

2) Who didn't learn to read until he was 17?

• Andrew Johnson
  

3) Who built a swimming pool and a movie theater in the White House?

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  

4) Who was ambidextrous?

• James Garfield
  

5) Who was president for only 32 days?

• William Henry Harrison
  

6) Who ordered the White House's first bathtub?

• Franklin Pierce
  

7) Who had the White House's first telephone?

• Rutherford B. Hayes
  

8) Who held his wedding in the White House?

• Grover Cleveland
  

9) Who let his horse graze on the White House lawn?

• Zachary Taylor
  

10) Who gave his pet mockingbird free rein of the indoor air space?

• Thomas Jefferson
  

Quick Presidential Quiz

This was sent along by a friend. It's a basic quiz. I expect no missed answers. Answers next week. Let's see those answers in the comments, people.

1. Who was the first President to be photographed?
2. Who didn't learn to read until he was 17?
3. Who built a swimming pool and a movie theater in the White House?
4. Who was ambidextrous?
5. Who was president for only 32 days?
6. Who ordered the White House's first bathtub?
7. Who had the White House's first telephone?
8. Who held his wedding in the White House?
9. Who let his horse graze on the White House lawn?
10. Who gave his pet mockingbird free rein of the indoor air space?

Food For Thought

While you prepare for the next set of contests, here's a good article to read and then cry about.

"Ten Things that won't change (no matter who gets elected)"

We, as a people, don't like change. So why is it that every one of the candidates is screaming about change?

No more speed, I'm almost there . . .

I don't really have time for everything that I would like to do. I can't even begin to imagine what it is like to run for president. The commanding egos that it takes to put yourself out there every day and worry about what the other guys are saying about you, afraid you might say something that will wind up on YouTube moments after you utter it.

All that being said, I have woefully neglected The Political Point. I'll try to be better. The delegate count (courtesy of MSNBC News) will stay up there at the top of the column. You should be able to click on it to get full results from the voting that has taken place. Don't forget The Fix over there on the right, which has links to columnists and stories from the Washington Post. Below that is a list of other blogs and political sites that are a little more dedicated to digesting the information and getting it out to you, dear reader.

So by the way of quick recap, here is where things stand since I was here writing last.

• Mitt Romney realized his pockets actually did have bottoms and he "suspended" his campaign. He may have been spotted selling used cars in Waltham, Massachusetts. I, mean, really. Mitt. We've had slick, but you took the cake, and the pie, and the donuts . . .
  
• Mike Huckabee is really a nice guy who likes John McCain but would happily pound him into the ground and step over his broken body if it would get him the nomination. He is really working the double-edged sword, to see if the VP slot comes to him, playing coy.
• John McCain. Excuse me? Waitress? A serving of crow over here for the Brave Astronaut. I left the man for dead and he has arisen Phoenix-like to nearly secure the nomination. Everybody should go and read this again.

As it looks like McCain will be the nominee, the question is raising its head - who will be his veep? This is a very important question for a man who would be 72 on Inauguration Day. There is of course the "Huckabee Speculation," Governor Pawlenty, as mentioned in the article linked above, a friend who is a McCain supporter who has some inside information that Lindsay Graham is being seriously considered. Over on my regular blog, I have started a series of recapping the Presidents of the United States, which will end on Election Day. When you look at the first few presidents, several started out as Secretary of State. Vice President Rice, anyone?

On the Democratic side, John Edwards slunk away with his tail between his legs. His departure left me with the option of voting for Obama, which I did, in yesterday's "Potomac Primary." It was nice to vote in a primary, where things mattered. The general consensus is that Maryland hasn't been competitive since George Wallace visited Laurel, Maryland in 1972.

• Barack Obama is the man to beat. He stands alongside Hillary Clinton, WHO IS UNELECTABLE. Go watch this video and then come back. Go ahead. I'll wait. . . . Isn't that one of the best things you have ever seen? Change is good. Join with me. Get on the Obama train.
• Hillary, Hillary, Hillary. Wrote yourself a $5 million check. Shook up your staff. And what did it get you? Not much, you lost the delegate lead, the momentum, the schedule that favored you. Please, we're begging you. Go back to the Senate. Be Queen of the Senate. Get out of the way of history. Please.

I feel like I'm watching those Bugs Bunny cartoons with her. "I dare you to step over this line!" Each line is another primary or caucus. She has staked her campaign on winning Texas and Ohio. Hey, Hil? Give Rudy a call. Ask him how spending all his time in one state, gambling on winning it worked out for him.

Stay tuned, the wild ride is not yet over. Not by a longshot.

"A President Like My Father"

When the Kennedy family steps up, I listen. Granted, I remember Ted Kennedy's abortive attempt to unseat Jimmy Carter in 1980, but when the Lion of the Senate roars, it's time to sit up and take notice.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) has joined with his niece, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, in endorsing Barack Obama for President of the United States.

In yesterday's New York Times, Caroline, the child of John F. Kennedy, endorsed Obama in an op-ed piece, A President Like My Father.

Of the remaining candidates in the race, I have been leading toward John Edwards. I have long maintained that Hillary, while dominant, is unelectable. Obama is fresh, he's new, he represents change. But I still don't know if this country is ready to elect a black man. I will admit to being very impressed at the margin of victory in South Carolina.

For now, I'll go along and see what Super Duper Tuesday brings.

What About Mike Gravel?

So I guess I am not going to have a chance to vote for Mike Gravel in the MD Primary . . . there is no word from Mad Mike. His whereabouts are unknown. Saturday, the Democrats will complete the other part of the South Carolina Primary. At this moment, the remaining candidates are debating in Myrtle Beach.

I was getting a haircut today and on my left was an older white woman getting her hair cut by an African-American woman, probably in her late 20s-early 30s. I happened to overhear when they started talking politics. I was intrigued to hear that the older white woman was more inclined to vote for Hillary after she showed some emotion before the NH primary. The black woman was going to vote for her until that point. It was a little microcosm of the electorate that I found interesting.

I am still disappointed by John Edwards. If he can't win in South Carolina, there may be no future for him or a role at the convention for that matter. I also can't see him taking the number 2 spot again.

Here is how the delegate count looks for the Democrats among the four remaining candidates.

Needed to nominate: 2025
Total delegate votes: 4049

• Hillary Clinton - 236
• Barack Obama - 136
• John Edwards - 50
• Dennis Kucinich - 1
  

Mac is Back, The Hunt[er] is Over

Another weekend, another two Republican contests in the books. The Nevada Caucuses and the GOP South Carolina primary were this past Saturday. John McCain is continuing his "Lazarus-like" comeback, capturing a primary that eluded him eight years ago. The two events also knocked Duncan Hunter from the presidential sweepstakes (but what about the one delegate he won?).

I still can't believe that McCain can win. I have heard a lot of talk about getting him to commit to serving only one term. Like he would go on the record and aver that. We will see how things go in Florida this weekend and then on Tsunami Tuesday. Of course, Florida is shaping up as the last stand of Rudy Giuliani. He has had the state to himself for some time and if he doesn't win here, time to pack up the tents and head back into his 9/11 bunker.

According to the Washington Post here are the latest delegate counts.
Needed to nominate: 1191
Total delegates: 2380

• Mitt Romney - 59
• Mike Huckabee - 40
• John McCain - 36
• Fred Thompson - 5
• Ron Paul - 4
• Rudy Giuliani - 1

Three down, 47 to go

Iowa went first and then Tuesday, New Hampshire. The Wyoming Republicans snuck in there between the two. Here's how they went:

Iowa (Republicans):

1. Huckabee - 37%, 17 delegates
2. Romney - 25%, 12 delegates
3. McCain - 13%, 3 delegates
4. Thompson - 13%, 3 delegates
5. Paul - 10%, 2 delegates
6. Giuliani - 4%, 0 delegates
7. Hunter - 1%, 0 delegates

Iowa (Democrats)

1. Obama - 38%, 16 delegates
2. Edwards - 30%, 14 delegates
3. Clinton - 29%, 15 delegates

Wyoming (Republicans)

1. Romney - 67%, 8 delegates
2. Thompson - 25%, 3 delegates
3. Hunter - 8%, 1 delegate (OH, HE'S ON FIRE NOW!)

New Hampshire (Democrats)

1. Clinton - 39%, 9 delegates
2. Obama - 37%, 9 delegates
3. Edwards - 17%, 3 delegates
   

New Hampshire (Republicans)

1. McCain - 37%, 7 delegates
2. Romney - 32%, 4 delegates
3. Huckabee - 11%, 1 delegate

Now its on to Michigan then Nevada, and South Carolina.

If you need a primer on how the delegate selection process works, read this.

Can't he run again?

I was but five years old when George McGovern ran for president as a Democrat in 1972. He was, of course, crushed under the Nixon landslide. McGovern is 85 now and has outlived most of his political contemporaries. He has put the current president in his sights.

"Why I Believe Bush Must Go" - today's Washington Post

The sub-title of the editorial - "Nixon Was Bad. These Guys Are Worse."

I love being a Democrat.