NH Primary Results

Of course Barak didn't win in a landslide. This is New Hampshire, not All Obama.

Sorry. Couldn't resist. (Note: In case anyone is concerned, the joke has absolutely nothing to do with perceived demographics and everything to do with coincidental pronunciation.)

As the voters choose the change they want to see in the world, the complex pattern emerges which will make the election that says goodbye to George W. Bush as weird and contentious as every one since 1996. We all know we want him gone. We just can't agree what we want in there next. From the crowd baying for impeachment to the few who want to pat him on the back and say, "Good job, Bushie," we can't even agree on what to do with him after he's evicted from the White House.

Politicians like to say, "This election is about the future." Elections shape the future, but votes are usually based on the past. Look at 2000, a referendum on Bill Clinton's penis and double talk. Even 2004 hinged on perceptions of the past, as the Vietnam-era records of George W. Bush and John Kerry were dragged into the crowd and dismembered. That election also hinged on fear, an emotion of anticipation, but past performance was supposed to predict future competence.

It's going to be a turbulent year, culminating in everyone's best guess in November.