NH-02: The 30th Diner Comes with a Cuppa Joe

by: Dean Barker

Sun Oct 24, 2010 at 21:08:54 PM EDT

(Pic of presidential candidate Biden at the Red Arrow diner from Buckeye State Jerid's tour of our primary back in the day.)

Vice President Joe Biden Talks Renewable Energy

by: Dean Barker

Thu Aug 26, 2010 at 21:03:50 PM EDT

Live from DNC

by: Kathy Sullivan 2

Fri Aug 20, 2010 at 11:41:58 AM EDT

He said the financial schemes under Bush watch constituted a big Ponzi scheme.

Personalized joblessness by talking about how his father had to leave Scranton for Delaware, initially leaving his family behind, because there were jobs there. Talks about how a job is not just a paycheck, but dignity.

Says that when they took office, they knew the situation was bad, and how hard it was going to be. They knew they had to act boldly and did.

Had to make tough choices.

(This is a good speech). All the initiatives taken were necessary, including preventing economic meltdown.

The banks are paying the money back. Health care reform passes.  Tax cuts for small business and helping to build a new economy.

Jean Biden

by: Peter Sullivan

Fri Jan 08, 2010 at 16:59:56 PM EST

http://www.delawareonline.com/...

Here's how her son, the vice president, described her:

Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden is the soul, spirit, and essence of what it means to be an Irish American.

She is spiritual. She is romantic. She honors tradition, and understands the thickest of all substances is blood, and the greatest of all virtues is love.

She has taught her children, all her children in my neighborhood who flocked to her hearth, that you are
defined by your sense of honor and you are redeemed by your loyalty.

She is quintessentially Irish -- a combination of pragmatism and optimism.

She also understands as my friend Pat Moynihan once said, there is no "point in being Irish if you don't know that the world is going to break your heart eventually."

But she is more. She measures success in how quickly you get up after you have been knocked down.

She believes bravery lives in every heart, and her expectation is that it will be summoned. Failure at some point in everyone's life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.

As long as you are alive you have an obligation to strive. And you are not dead until you've seen God's face.

Slán agus beannacht leat, Mrs. Biden.  

Mother's Day: Tribute to an Irish Mother

by: Peter Sullivan

Sun May 10, 2009 at 12:23:17 PM EDT

Tribute to an Irish Mother
By Vice President Joe Biden

Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden is the soul, spirit, and essence of what it means to be an Irish American.

She is spiritual. She is romantic. She honors tradition, and understands the thickest of all substances is blood, and the greatest of all virtues is love.

She has taught her children, all her children in my neighborhood who flocked to her hearth, that you are defined by your sense of honor and you are redeemed by your loyalty.

She is quintessentially Irish -- a combination of pragmatism and optimism.

She also understands as my friend Pat Moynihan once said, there is no "point in being Irish if you don't know that the world is going to break your heart eventually."

But she is more. She measures success in how quickly you get up after you have been knocked down.

She believes bravery lives in every heart, and her expectation is that it will be summoned. Failure at some point in everyone's life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.

As long as you are alive you have an obligation to strive. And you are not
dead until you've seen God's face.

My mother is a living portrait of what it means to be Irish - - proud on the edge of defiance. Generous to a fault. Loyal to the end.

She made not only me believe, but scores of my friends and acquaintances believe in themselves.

As a child I stuttered. She said it was because I was so bright I couldn't get the thoughts out quickly enough. When my face was dirty, and I was not as well dressed as others, she told me how handsome I was. When my wife and daughter were killed, she told me God sends no cross a man is not able to bear. And when I triumphed, she reminded me it was because of others.

She was watching through the kitchen window as I got knocked down by two bigger guys behind my grandfather's home. She sent me back out and demanded that I, to use their phrase, "bloody their nose," so I could walk down that alley the next day.

When my father quit his job on the spot because his abusive boss threw a bucket full of silver dollars on the floor of a car dealership to humiliate his employees, she told him how proud she was.

No one is better than you. You are every man's equal, and every man is equal to you. You must be a man of your word, for without your word you're not a man.

When I was in eighth grade, I was a lieutenant on the safety patrol. My job was to keep order on the bus. My sister and best friend Valerie acted up. At dinner that night I told my mother and father I had a dilemma. I had to turn my sister in - it was a matter of honor. My parents said that was not my only option. The next day I turned my badge in.

I believe the traits that make my mother a remarkable woman mirror the traits that make the Irish a remarkable people. Bent, but never bowed. Discriminated against, but always looking down at their discriminator. Economically deprived, but spiritually enriched. Denied an education, but a land of scholars and poets.

As I look out at those massive Corinthian columns, I see my 5 foot, 2 inch mother, who stands taller in my eyes than any pillar in this room.

And I think of the Irish poem "Any Woman" by Katherine Tynan:
"I am the pillars of the house;
The keystone of the arch am I.
Take me away, and roof and wall
Would fall to ruin utterly.
I am the fire upon the hearth,
I am the light of the good sun,
I am the heat that warms the earth,
Which else were colder than a stone."

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig

by: Peter Sullivan

Tue Mar 17, 2009 at 09:20:13 AM EDT

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 16:39:49 PM EST

What incredible change in just a few months.  Hillary was my first choice for President, but I'm thrilled with Barack Obama.  Hillary Clinton was my choice for Vice President.  But I'm so happy with Joe Biden.  

With Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, we have three fantastic leaders.  What strength and intelligence we have at the top.  

Now, hopefully, they'll get us out of Iraq soon, and Afghanistan just as soon.  America's future is getting brighter on these cold January days.  

Afghanistan: It's Like Shoveling Slush

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Sun Jan 11, 2009 at 11:31:49 AM EST

I hesitate to upset my Democratic friends.  I'm as pleased as any of us that we're seeing such wonderful change in Washington.  The next two and three  weeks leading up to the Inauguration, and then the afterglow of the beginning of a new Administration, is an exciting time for all of us who have worked long and hard in many different ways for "change."  

But I'm worried that Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton have been pushed into a corner concerning Afghanistan, not unlike the way President John Kennedy was pushed into Vietnam.  During the past few years, many elected and prospectively elected Democrats had to come across as willing to "fight the war on terrorism," so our rhetoric since 2003 or so has been that Iraq was a war we had to end, but Afghanistan was a war we are willing to wage.  After all, that's where the Taliban are.

The Taliban?  None of the 19 terrorists who were on the planes attacking the World Trade Center or the Pentagon on September 11th were Taliban.  We decided to attack the Taliban.  We invaded Afghanistan.  We were looking for Osama bin Laden, who somehow hasn't been in the news in recent weeks.  He was once the object of our anger and mind set.  We don't even know he's in Afghanistan, but we're stuck there, as we got stuck in Vietnam looking for communists.  So much for learning History 101.  

Vice President-Elect Joe Biden has been touring Afghanistan this past week, being fed the usual military dribble that American leaders from Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon to Tom McIntyre and George Romney had been told during the Vietnam War.

"Secretary Of State-Designate Hillary Clinton" -- It Sounds So Good!

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 11:24:08 AM EST

I just sounds all so good.  

With Joe Biden and so many other great choices, what incredible future potential there is for America.  

A Role For Al Gore?

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Sun Nov 23, 2008 at 11:38:07 AM EST

I think the world may have been so much different than now.  I can't imagine we would have invaded Iraq.  We likely would be in the middle of a smarter war on terrorism.  I bet the economy wouldn't be in crisis.

But, who knows?  The "ifs" of history also are followed by the "then whats," and we are where we are because of circumstances.  If those circumstances had been different we might have ended up where we wouldn't want to be today.  

Al Gore didn't become President.  But he's done so much more, with his vision on Climate Change.  There MUST be a role for him during the next several years.  He's a young man in search of a better future for us.

Imagine, President Barack Obama.  Vice President Joe Biden.  Important roles for Hillary Clinton and Al Gore and Bill Richardson.  The possibilities of a positive future are thrilling.

I think America is going to be quite okay.  

Democrats Hold The New Hampshire State House! Senate: 14 D's; House: 224 +/- D's

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 15:21:52 PM EST

I had hoped for a few more House members, and with a little bit of wishful thinking and some cheerleading I had projected we'd have some 262 Democrats.  I'm not disappointed with around 225.  We've had 231 and we've done some great things.  I remember well being in the House when we had about 112 Democrats, so twice that is something that's fun to have to live with.  I'm saddened by the loss of almost 20 of our Democratic incumbents, but many of them will be back in two years.  

The rest of my projections were fairly on the mark.  For the past six months, despite getting some abuse from certain Republicans and some laughs from fellow Democrats when at times things looked bleak, I projected we'd see the reelection of John Lynch, Carol Shea-Porter, and Paul Hodes, as well as the election of Jeanne Shaheen.  They did it!  Plus, I projected that we'd continue to have three Democratic Governor's Council members, including John Shea.  He shouldn't be underestimated, and showed that he does well when the competition is tough.

My projections were made based not on polls but rather on the enthusiasm we saw going into the New Hampshire First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary, and the new registrations, and the motivating factors for voters -- the need for health care, the Iraq War, the economy, and George W. Bush/Dick Cheney.  We have to thank those guys for encouraging our supporters to get out and throw them out.

I was a bit low on my 7 percent projection for Barack Obama/Joe Biden in New Hampshire.  I mean, he did incredible.  I originally supported Hillary Clinton, but was so proud to vote for Barack Obama yesterday.  And nationwide I projected half a dozen new Democratic United States Senators and a dozen or more new Democratic Congressmen.  It turned out that way.

What an incredible job our Democrats did in the NH State Senate, with all incumbents getting reelected.  We have 14 Democrats in the Senate now, and will have 14 for the next two years, and that back-to-back is another great accomplishment.  I was hoping for better results with our other excellent candidates -- Jay Phinzy, Mike Kaelin, Bob Martin, Bob Backus, and Martha McLeod -- but maybe next time.  Wasn't it fantastic the way our incumbents and new candidates fended off challengers?  Peggy Gilmour, Matt Houde, Bette Lasky, Harold Janeway, Jackie Cilley, and Amanda Merrill will continue to be great, with the others.

Oh, AND WE WILL HAVE 13 WOMEN IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE SENATE.  THAT'S A MAJORITY!

I should add that Ray Buckley, who can drive some of us up the wall sometimes but who knows his job and does it, should be thanked for his work on the State Senate succcesses -- and others statewide; and Kevin Hodges should be thanked for coordinating much of the success in the House of Representatives.  Decent work all around by them and other staff and volunteers.

The "pendulum of politics" teaches us that victory is often temporary -- including the victory of ideas.  We have much to do to keep our level of success in what might be a more difficult year for us, in 2010.  But if Democrats act like Democrats -- and that is open to debate and definition, which I hope those of us on www.BlueHampshire.com will continue to engage in freely -- we'll continue to win, and do good things to help people in the process.

Michael Nowak and Laurie McCray -- Heroes Of Democracy

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Sun Nov 02, 2008 at 19:35:02 PM EST

Michael Nowak is 19, and he has been volunteering in the Portsmouth Democrats Headquarters doing data entry and all sorts of other things.  His mother is Laurie McCray, known hereabouts as the go-to person to get E-Mail notices about all activities and events-Democratic out to the masses.  She's also a dedicated fighter for health care and advocate for equality for special needs.

See, Michael has Down syndrome, but that doesn't matter in anything he does because what he does he does so well.  Michael, by the way, also volunteers at Portsmouth City Hall and has a part-time job at Portsmouth Edgewood Centre Nursing Home.  

Today's Seacoast Sunday, the weekend edition of The Portsmouth Herald, had Michael's picture on the front page -- in color, in the center of the page, above the fold.  It doesn't get better than that.  Presidents on Inaugural Day get that kind of favor.  And on another page where the front page story continues, just above the headline "They're Political Patriots," is a picture of Michael hugging his Mom, standing in front of a pile full of Carol Shea-Porter, John Lynch, and Jeanne Shaheen signs.  I mean, free advertising galore!  And great smiles.  

Democrats in the Seacoast are so rich because we have Michael and Laurie on our side.  Barack Obama-Joe Biden-John Lynch-Carol Shea-Porter-Jeanne Shaheen -- you can't lose because of them!  (Go to seacoastonline.com to today's edition, to the upper left of the home page of their WEBSITE.)

With 170 Hours To Go, My Projections Firm Up. What Are Yours?

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 18:10:04 PM EDT

Between this hour and that one, a lot will happen.  Much political mail will be delivered, many more commercials will air, and there will be some debates.  Millions of clocks -- digital and those with little hour/minute hands -- will be turned back an hour as we go to Standard Time.  WHOOPS, okay, add one more hour of campaign time: it's less than 171 hours until the polls close!  We need that extra hour to be nervous a bit more.

What will happen?  Give some thoughts and offer a comment.  Here are mine...

I'm keeping to my projections of the past six months which I've repeated a few times, but which I'm firming up:  Here in New Hampshire, John Lynch will win, along with Jeanne Shaheen, Carol Shea-Porter, and Paul Hodes.  We'll end up with three Democratic Governor's Councilors, but maybe four -- I can't figure out for sure, but I think we'll have at least three.  We'll have 18 Democratic members of the State Senate -- it could be 19, but I'm quite sure of 18.  We'll have 262 Democratic House members -- perhaps a couple more, but I'm quite sure we'll have 262 anyway.

Congress will turn strongly Democratic, adding at least half a dozen Democratic United States Senators and a dozen Democratic House members.   Oh, and Barack Obama will be elected President; that makes Joe Biden Vice President.  I haven't looked carefully enough at the national layout to consider his margin, but I think he'll win a bit over 300 electoral votes.  He'll win New Hampshire by 7 percent.

My projections through the past few months are not about the polls, and never have been.   I've looked at all the House and Senate districts statewide (it took over 20 hours of analysis last Spring), and considered the new voter registrations, the incredible Democratic turnout in the January 8th New Hampshire First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary, and the Democratic unity.  I've added percentages to the Democratic vote of 2006 based on the motivating factors which will get Democrats and Democrat-minded Independents to the polls on November 4th -- Iraq, health care, the economy, environmental issues like Global Warming/Climate Change, education, the need for tax reform, and other issues.   I also looked at the November 2006 vote and adjusted for a Presidential Election year.  Then I added a bit for Democrats to adjust for the relative enthusiasm of the two political parties.  Well, we'll see if I'm close.

Two years ago, on October 5th, I wrote projections that were mighty close to the actual results of the election a month later.  I thought John Lynch would win, with Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes, that we'd have 3 Democrats on the Governor's Council, 14 Democrats in the State Senate, 220 Democrats in the NH House, with a Democrat House Speaker here and in Washington.  That year I said 2006 was shaping up as "The Perfect Storm" for Democrats.  It was.  This year, it's "The Perfect Storm II."

What do YOU think we'll be seeing 170 hours?  Sorry, 171 hours?  

Some Statistics To Prove That New Hampshire Is NOT "John McCain Country."

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 20:36:18 PM EDT

One of the more exasperating comments I hear news media personalities who should know better, or should be doing more accurate reporting, is that "New Hampshire is John McCain country."  Baloney.  New Hampshire has never been "his state.'  

In 2000 he faced a stumbling George W. Bush in the New Hampshire First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary.  In the NH Primary on February 1st, 2000, some 239,523  Republicans sloshed to the polls on a cold winter day.  John McCain received 115,606 of those votes -- about 48%.  George W. Bush got 72,330 votes -- even then the voters were smartening up about him.  The rest of the wealth of Republican votes was spread around to names like Forbes, Keyes, Bauer, and a splattering of others.  Umm, spreading the wealth around probably got its start in John McCain's mindset that year.

That wasn't too bad for McCain in 2000.  Of course, shortly after leaving New Hampshire he walked into walls or off a cliff depending on your description down South, and ended up spending the past eight years not doing much in the United States Senate.

By the way, in that primary of February 1, 2000, there were 156,862 Democrats voting -- not exactly an excited electorate.  I remember it well.  Most of us voted for Al Gore, but Bill Bradley wasn't far behind.  We know what happened after that, and if, if, if -- if Florida, if the US Supreme Court, if New Hampshire, if he didn't roll his eyes, if -- he would be winding up two terms as President.

Update to 2008.  Least we forget, John McCain was able to slip in between a pile of conservative Republicans.  He was able to appear like the alternative to the far right, and he received 88,713 votes from Republicans in the NH Primary on January 8, 2008.  Not bad, except there were some 241,039 Republicans voting -- so McCain this time around got only about 36% of those voting.

It was enough, however, for John McCain to top the New Hampshire Republican ballot because the rest of the candidates spread the balance of the votes -- Mitt Romney coming in second with 75,675, and names like Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, and Duncan Hunter getting the rest.  Ohhhhh -- Barack Obama got the write-ins of 1,996 Republicans and Hillary Clinton got 1,828 write-ins, not too bad for Republicans who like Democrats, and who can vote for Democrats again in less than two weeks.  

That same election, January 8th of this year, 288,672 Democrats voted.  Compare that with the 156,862 Democrats who voted in the 2000 Primary.  More than 130,000 additional Democrats turned out this year in our Primary.  Some excitement there, huh?  Among the Republicans, compared with 239,523 voting in the 2000 Primary there were only about 1,500 more Republicans voting this year.  Many stayed home.  

At the January 8th Democratic Presidential Primary, Barack Obama got 104,815 votes -- some 16,000 votes more than John McCain received on January 8th.  Hillary Clinton placed first with 112,404, and you can bet almost all will be voting for Barack Obama on November 4th.  So will those who voted for the other Democratic Presidential candidates, who included Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, and Mike Gravel.  

Bottom line, for those who are bottom line types, is this:  As of September 9th, there were  868,668 registered voters in New Hampshire.  By now in late October there are quite a few more, and many others are expected to sign up as new voters on November 4th.

So, take a look at it:  On January 8th of this year John McCain received 88,713 votes -- certainly enough to win a Republican Primary where he staked out the "moderate" ground and there were half a dozen other candidates splitting the more conservative elements of the party.

But of ALL New Hampshire registered voters, John McCain received only about 10.2% this year.  This isn't "John McCain Country" by a long shot.  And considering the way the Democrats are united this year, and with the motivating issues to encourage people to vote being Iraq, health care, Global Warming and Climate Change, education, tax reform and fairness, and our current economic dilemma -- Barack Obama will do very well.

Those of us who support him have to keep at it right through to Tuesday, November 4th at 8:00 PM, but he'll beat John McCain in New Hampshire.  New Hampshire has never been John McCain Country.  But after November 4th, we'll be able to call it a proud place for President Barack Obama to come back to whenever he wants.

Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama For President: A Class Act By A Longtime Republican

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 10:23:33 AM EDT

It is an incredible and heartfelt endorsement. While endorsements often don't matter much, I think this one will.  It was firm, clear, direct, honest, and hard-hitting.

And Colin Powell made the endorsement in the manner of a statesperson, not being overly critical of John McCain, but pointing out continuing problems with the Republican Party of these latter days -- that they "win" by destroying others, that they go after the irrelevancies like whom one is associated with so they can avoid the discussion about what really affects people.  

Without using the words, Colin Powell was telling us that John McCain has lost his way.  He's misplaced any vision about the future he had, and instead has allowed campaign consultants and other hacks make a mess of his campaign, and himself.  Problem is, of course, that also shows a lack of character and a lack of leadership.

Powell also seemed chagrined with the surprise selection by McCain of Sarah Palin.  It seemed like Powell was asking McCain, "what were you thinking?"  

Let's not lose focus of the reality that Colin Powell contributed to getting us into Iraq.  I think it was clear he didn't want to invade, and he didn't want to make the "close the case" presentation at the United Nations shortly before the invasion.  And with his military training, he most likely believed his role as Secretary of State was to follow the leader.  

But he didn't have to kiss the butts of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush.  He probably had to say "Yes Sir" once the decision was made to invade, although that's open to debate,  but he could have done a better job questioning the "intelligence" about Weapons Of Mass Destruction," and the wisdom of changing long-standing American ideals by attacking a nation that hadn't attacked us.  

All said and done, however, perhaps Colin Powell would have made a fascinating President in his own right.  Hopefully, a President Barack Obama will call on him to fill an important role in his administration.  

Colin Powell also says he will vote for Barack Obama on November 4th because of the positive amazing message it will give to the world -- that we are ready to do things differently, and that we are willing to talk with people who we haven't have a conversation with lately.  We need to do that.  If we don't talk with our enemies, about the only thing left is to fight them.  

Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama was a class act by a longtime Republican.  Many other Republicans should take his lead.  

Biden NH Visit Livestream

by: Dean Barker

Mon Oct 13, 2008 at 09:33:40 AM EDT

Third Time's the Charm - Biden in NH on Monday

by: Dean Barker

Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 05:32:21 AM EDT

Let's try this one more time, on Monday:

Rochester
The American Legion Hall
94 Eastern Ave,
Rochester, NH  03867

Doors Open: 8:00 am, Program Begins: 10:00 am

Manchester

Southern New Hampshire University
Athletics & Recreation Complex
Field House
2500 N. River Road
Manchester, NH 03106

Doors Open: 11:30am, Program Begins: 1:30pm

Ticket locations below the fold...

Biden NH Visit Cancelled

by: Dean Barker

Sun Oct 05, 2008 at 21:43:18 PM EDT

Condolences to the Biden family.

One Month To Go - My November 4th Election Day "Expectations." What Are Yours?

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 18:44:09 PM EDT

On October 7th, 2006, exactly a month before the General Election of that year, I Blogged about "The Perfect Storm" shaping up for Democrats.  This is exactly what  I wrote:

"Here in New Hampshire, Democrats have an excellent chance to have 3 of the 5 Governor's Councilors elected, perhaps even 4.  The State Senate well could result in 14 Democrats out of 24, possibly even 15 or 16.   Democrats in the NH House could pick up 70 seats - - 70 seats - - giving them a margin of 20 or so and allow them to elect the first Democrat House Speaker in nearly a Century."

I ended up being a little short in my "House" expectations -- we got about 20 more.  But I was pretty close, closer than most were expecting, especially those following the polls. I continued...  

"My betting right now would go with both Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes winning their races.  The US House could see a Democrat House Speaker and a Democrat majority in January.  I'm not quite so sure about the US Senate, but the Democrats could come within one or two seats there of having a majority."

All that was at a time, a month before the elections, when the polls were showing Republicans were doing fairly okay, and many people discounting Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes.  And not many were saying Democrats would take control of Congress.

The Debate: Joe Biden Won, But Sarah Failin' Did "Better Than Expected."

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Fri Oct 03, 2008 at 09:46:10 AM EDT

It's hard for me to quite understand -- though I guess I do -- the "American Idol " type of politics we're getting to.  With 24-hour television news coverage and total-access Internet, the slightest smirk or untimely smile, or the sweet but really meaningless expressions or comments that come from candidates, can decide an election.   I heard one voter be interviewed after the debate who said she was "all for Barack Obama" until she heard Sarah Palin say that the federal government has to spend its money like we spend ours, being careful where every dollar goes.  As if that's an original thought.  But this woman said, "She's right!"  So now she'll vote for John McCain.  Go figure.

Another voter, who observed she's fed up with political double-talk, said Palin "speaks to the common person," and she'll vote for her because of that.  My goodness.  "Thank ya," I'm sure Palin would tell her.  

"Likeable" has always been a factor to measure in a campaign, but now with television news replaying and replaying and replaying and replaying and replaying edits from speeches -- oh do we all remember Howard Dean -- elections are won or lost in the seconds it takes to put together half a dozen words.  Or even just a scream.

I do think Joe Biden won the debate, but I also think Sarah Palin did "better than expected."  Will enough American voters in marginal states be swayed by her friend-next-door, folksy I'm-just-like-ya demeanor?  Or do we want and expect more from our leaders?  After all, she could be -- COULD BE -- President of the United States in about 115 days.  

With the nuclear codes in a bag nearby.

We're not choosing a TV star who we want to see on a weekly sitcom.  We're deciding our future.