Down to three

Well, we're down to three candidates, more or less.
McCain is the Republican candidate, no matter what "I can still spit" Huckabee says. I'm not sure why he's still in the race, unless he has dreams of being vice president. Ironically, the longer he stays, the more pissed off McCain gets, meaning he lessens his chances every day.
McCain himself has sold out to some group who call themselves "true conservatives." He's actually sold out to the very same people who put Bush in power. Even though he's not saying he backs Bush, he backs every single Bush policy - more war, more tax cuts, more deficits, more policies biased toward making rich people richer and shrinking the middle class. He even voted against banning waterboarding and other forms of torture. This was his statement to "conservatives" - that he will sell his soul for them and the nomination, he will compromise even something that used to be so important to him. John McCain, a pilot, a war hero, a former POW, has sold every shred of honor he had left. He's even stooped so low as to praise Karl Rove, the man who smeared his character so long ago in South Carolina in 2000. But the worst thing of all is that he represents the status quo. These pseudoconservatives will do anything to prolong their feeding at the trough. If McCain is elected, the rich will frantically continue to accumulate wealth because they know eventually, this economy based on individual and national debt will have to collapse. They think they will hoard enough to ride it out, but most of us will face the hard times of another depression. We almost collapsed during the mortgage crisis, but Bush and the Democratic Congress have managed to buy the country a little more time. Unfortunately, they only made superficial, short-term changes that don't change the fundamental basis of the economic policies that are leading us lemmings over the cliff. The funny thing is, we are lemmings. A lot of people listen to McCain, thinking an old-time Republican will get us out of the mess Bush and the neocons have gotten us into, even though McCain has sold out to that very group to get the nomination. God help us if he gets elected.
I like Hillary, but I hope Obama gets the nomination. I do think Hillary would do a good job if she were elected president. The only thing I don't like is that she's getting shriller and meaner as Obama gains momentum. I pray she's not selfish enough to take him down with her. I want her to run a clean campaign. If she gets the nomination, I will campaign for her. If Barack gets it, I hope she will campaign for and with him.
Why do I like Obama? Because he's not just another guy from old Washington. I think he at least has a chance of healing the bitter partisan rift in Washington and the rest of the country. He's a good man who will put the country first, above his own personal ambitions and above party loyalty. I just hope both parties will get behind him and cooperate if he's elected. If Republicans become obstructive, I hope they get wiped out as a party. If they cooperate and help to make the country a better place for all of us, then their party will get stronger. I don't think very many people trust the Republican Party anymore. Why should they? Look at the mess they've made of our country.

The Iowa Caucus

OK, here's my read on the Iowa caucus results: best news - we may not have to settle for Hillary after all; #2 - young voters turned out in strength!!; #3 - Huckabee won in Iowa, but he's unelectable. He's going to polarize Republicans because he's the only one evangelicals can vote for AND he's the one the rest of the party can't vote for; #4 - Romney may not recover, which means McCain is going to be the choice of party die-hards.
So IF (and that's a big IF) the general election comes down to Obama vs. McCain, Obama wins in a landslide. He will also wipe out Huckabee. In other words, I'm beginning to feel something I haven't felt in a long time...HOPE! But I take nothing for granted. If Americans are stupid enough to re-elect Bush, they're dumb enough to put a Republican back in the White House. Young voters, if they get off their butts and vote, will be the best guarantee against that.
What the heck - New Hampshire predictions - I think McCain will win NH, Romney second, and no one else will do much of anything. I think Obama will win for the Dems, with Hillary 2nd and Edwards third.
What to watch for - Hillary has to make some campaign changes. It will be interesting to see what she comes up with. I think she's been using Bill so much that people are getting the feeling she thinks we should vote for her because she's married to him. That won't wash. She's also gotten into the habit of giving politician's answers to every question. She has to start talking to us, even if it means she makes mistakes. That's what Obama, Edwards, and Huckabee do, and it's paying dividends for all of them. Time to get real, Hillary.
I still hope Edwards wins, but I like Obama almost as much. On the Republican side, I hope Huckabee gets the nomination because he's the least electable of all the unelectable Republicans. It's been an interesting political process to watch.