Campaign Quick Hits

Things have been happening fast and furious the past couple of days, so here's a quick rundown of what's going down.

- Hillary wins New Hampshire...sorta. People are trying to get their heads around the polls being wrong about Hillary losing New Hampshire. That doesn't matter. What matters is that the media may have had a bigger hand in it than we realize. Forget cries of voter fraud and Hillary's tears, what helped her the most was the media helping her campaign lower expectations so any showing above Mike Gravel would be seen as a major victory. Plus, the media need a horse race, given that they've spent the better part of a year and a half covering the 2008 campaign. If Obama ran away with it early, the media would be out of a story, except for the Republicans (and we all know how much the media love the Republicans, right?). So, with a little work, the media helped Hillary overcome Obama's win in Iowa.

- Bill Richardson drops out...and nobody notices. Actually, some people did notice, but it wasn't like Richardson was burning up the polls. He was far enough back that his dropping out of the 2008 race was not a matter of if, but when. I will say this: he did have some of the best commercials out there, Democrat or Republican. The only time I laughed harder at a political ad was when Ron Paul tried to convince people he was a "real conservative."

- John Kerry endorses Obama. Is he doomed? People are abuzz with the talk that John Kerry endorsed Barack Obama and what impact it would have on the 2008 race. Before we can think of the how, we have to think about the why. Some see it as a passing of the torch, while others see it as a way for Kerry to get back in the limelight in an attempt to help boost his reelection chances. Personally, I think it's akin to what the Democrats did regarding debating on Fox News. Nobody wanted to be the first big name to do it, but once John Edwards did, everybody did. Watch for Democrat Senators to line up behind candidates en masse soon.

- John McCain, Unplugged. Winning in New Hampshire gave McCain a much-needed boost, but where does he go from here? Not very far, if his victory speech is any indication. He looked old, tired, and unmotivated, and his attempt to latch onto Bill Clinton's "comeback kid" line from 1992 was laughable. Watch him to fade quickly now that he's met his goal of winning New Hampshire, which is pretty much like buying up Baltic Avenue in Monopoly.

- Romney in a "must win" in Michigan? Once again, the talking heads are whispering that Mitt Romney needs to win Michigan or else he's dropping out. (Aren't these the same talking heads who said Hillary would be out after New Hampshire?) One first place finish and two second place finishes plus a delegate count lead means Michigan is not a "must win." Sure, he'll want to win because his dad was Governor of Michigan, but if he pulls off a second or third place finish, he's not finished.

- Huckaboom to Huckabust? But Huckabee might be finished if he doesn't start winning. He took third in New Hampshire, but it wasn't even a close third. People think he'll do well in South Carolina, and he very well may, but what's next? His chances of being competitive after Super Tuesday are getting dimmer with each passing day that people aren't talking about him. And right now, he's barely attracting more attention than Janet Reno wrestling Madeline Albright in chocolate pudding.

And finally...

- Christopher Dodd and Joe Biden drop out. After getting a whopping 0.5% of the vote in Iowa, Christopher Dodd announced he was dropping out of the race for President. And true to form, Joe Biden copied Dodd.