skeptics

Ankush Khardori throws cold water on anyone who’s out there hootin’ and hollerin’:

Folks, one state had its caucuses. One rural state. One disproportionately white state. If you haven’t already, you need to reject the idea that the results give you extremely significant results, because this is only the case if the media says it is and if people, in turn, accept this nonsense. …

It is not the case, as David Axeldrod says, that “there was a hunger for change in this country.” At best, there was “a hunger for change” among Iowa Democratic caucusgoers. “The country” appears to have a different view of things for the time being.

Engram, writing before the results were in, was also careful to draw his readers’ attention to the national polls:

Hillary’s lead over Obama nationally is just incredibly strong, and both are already known quantities. I don’t really see how this national trend is going to change very much (except on a temporary basis) if Obama wins the first two primaries.

It’s a nice win, though, isn’t it?  Who isn’t rooting for Obama (on some level)? You’d have to be awfully cold-hearted to deny the powerful message such a win contains. No matter what happens, the message it sends is uplifting. Nice.

good performance

John Podhoretz calls them “the preachers“; I say it’s the performers who won tonight (for whatever their win is worth):

Listening to Mike Huckabee, who was a radio announcer before he was a minister, one cannot help but notice the brilliance of his style of performance — he is a very, very cool customer who uses quiet to his advantage, a preacher who forces you to lean forward to catch his words. Barack Obama, also a spellbinding speaker, uses a more intense style of preachment, but maintains his urgency without ever becoming heated. They are delightful to listen to, and surely that has contributed mightily to their mutual triumph tonight.

“Delightful to listen to.” Hmmm. That sounds a lot like entertainment. ‘Cause politics is the greatest show on earth.



(photo from Drudge)

On to New Hampshire and on with the show!

p.s. As a confirmed non-politico, I can tell you I didn’t watch even one minute of the coverage.