A "Like, Duh" Moment

I know I’m coming to this realization a bit late (shoot me for being slow), but it would have been better if John McCain picked either Mitt Romney - his devout Mormonism aside - or Bobby Jindal as his running mate. Unlike Palin, neither of them are dummies.

Who To Blame?

Did Palin cost McCain the election? According to FOX News, it sure looks like it:



I cut McCain a lot of slack for choosing Palin, but he should have at least talked to her and asked a few simple questions - like whether Africa is a continent or not. I know most American can't find their own country on a map, but even a third-grader knows that Africa is a continent.

(via hit & run)

Obama Wins Nomination.

Not surprisingly, Obama has won the Democratic nomination for president - unofficially. Clinton has yet to concede, but knowing her modus operandi, she's probably angling for VP.

I'm disappointed it has come to this. I consider politics to be a blood sport, the political equivalent of the MMA. So to see the event end so early has cheated me of the enjoyment I so desperately needed: to see Clinton and Obama beat each other into a bloody pulp by convention time. Alas, it is not to be.

On the upside, it's good to know who the contenders are. For me, both McCain and Obama are bitter disappointments. McCain, with his maverick persona long worn off, represents a party that desperately needs to renew itself ideologically. Obama is the feel good candidate, whose lack of experience (and ideas) seems secondary to his natural gift as an orator and schmoozer. For people who are voting with their hearts instead of their brains, Obama is their man. I'm much too cynical to fall for Obama's charisma.

I'm not saying I'm not voting in November. I am. Just not for McCain or Obama.

Last Republican Standing: Romney Suspends Campaign

At the CPAC conference, Mitt Romney has announced that he’s suspending his campaign. Given his lackluster performance on Super Tuesday, the low number of delegates he has so far garnered (which eliminates him mathematically), and, not to mention, the personal wealth he has personally staked to the campaign, it is no surprise he’s suspending his run.

Romney’s withdrawal is a sure sign that conservatives have run out of steam. They have no energy left. They gave it all to President Bush, who quickly squandered it. President George Bush was conservative as they come, and he’s been a disaster. Name any cherished conservative principle, and George Bush has trashed it. Whatever the results of Iraq, success or failure, the Bush Administration botched it from the beginning.

With no real choice other than to sit home, conservative will now, albeit reluctantly, throw their support over to McCain, whom they revile but will vote for anyway because an imperfect conservative is better than a perfect liberal.

Super Tuesday Results: McCains Surges And Clinton Splits

Yahoo has a great interactive dashboard displaying the results of Super Tuesday that is worth checking out.

I say I was surprised by Mitt Romney’s very poor showing given how conservative media types like Rush Limbaugh were hammering McCain (and Huckabee) for not being a true conservative. Nevertheless, it seems many conservatives decided to stay home rather than vote. And the conservatives who did vote, mostly the evangelicals, voted for Huckabee instead. Don’t know if Romney’s Mormon faith had anything to do with, but Huckabee picked up some key Southern states (also known as the Bible belt) so it may have been a factor.

On the Democratic front, not surprisingly, no clear winner has emerged, both Barack and Clinton managed an even split. This one is going to be bloody one; and chances are good it won’t be decided until the convention.