Sisyphus Understands

Well, Super Tuesday is behind us, and the path ahead appears just as bleak as it did on Monday.  So far, we have no clear frontrunner on the Democratic side, and the Republican side makes it tough to tell who the actual Republican is.

Don't get me wrong - I know that no candidate is ever perfect, at least in my eyes.  About the only way I could agree with a candidate 100% is if I were the guy running (not in a million years!).  But still, I had expected that there would be someone I could at least be moderately comfortable supporting.

Among the Republicans, I agree with Sen. McCain on the war, but after that we pretty much diverge on everything.  Romney epitomizes all the reasons I'll never move back to Massachusetts, especially the nanny state medical coverage.

I actually have to control a physical reaction to Sen. Clinton - rarely have I encountered someone so self-centered and self-serving in my life (yes, she's a politician, and I should expect it - can I help it if I want my elected officials to be better than that?).  Sen. Obama is someone I respect, at least.  His positions seem to be sincerely held, but I can't say that I agree with him on anything I've heard him discuss yet.

All things considered, then, November is shaping up to be a very depressing month...

I have to admit, so far this presidential race has been a snoozer for me, but after this week, it finally looks like there may be some life in it.

On the Republican side, there at last seems to be some consensus that McCain will be the nominee (Huckabee's delusions of grandeur aside). While I can't say that he's my ideal candidate, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially if he can find a running mate that balances out some of his more egregious liberalisms. I'll reserve judgement for the time being.

The Democrats, on the other hand, seem to be doing everything in their power to destroy their own party. Its almost sad (in a hilarious kind of way) watching the Keystone Cops antics over there. We're rapidly approaching a situation where Obama could win the nomination in the popular vote, but lose because of the superdelegates. Hmmm - isn't that the kind of situation the Democrats were screaming about in 2000? Seems like what goes around comes around.

I'll be very interested to see who emerges victorious, though. I can't see Hillary being a gracious loser, that's for sure. And if she does manage to get Michigan and Florida counted, and tip the balance in her favor, I have a feeling that we may see some people crossing the aisle to vote Republican simply because of the awful taste they have in their mouth because of her.

Curiouser and curiouser...

Now here's a proposal for alternative energy that I can get behind - making biofuels out of the CO2 in the atmosphere using clean nuclear energy. (Hat tip - Instapundit) I've always been an advocate of nuclear energy, because I believe that the benefits of the technology are tremendous, and that the risks can be minimized. Particularly in the newest generation of plant designs, which are "inherently safe" - which simply means that they can't melt down, no matter what you do to it. The problem has always been the fact that you have this enormous supply of electrical power available, but when you want to drive to the store, or to see grandma, you can't tap into it. So far, the energy density of the batteries developed for cars has been woefully inadequate - a couple hundred miles, then stop for 8 hours and recharge. Not the way I usually travel, let me tell you. But this proposal is unique - liquid fuels are easily transportable, we already have the infrastructure to resupply vehicles using these fuels, and its carbon neutral. The waste gases created by burning the fuel are reclaimed by the plant that makes the fuel. I honestly can't find a downside here, except for the fact that its going to piss off the Greenies like you wouldn't believe. Or is that a downside? Hmmm...

As much as I would like to believe that the junior senator from New York would see the handwriting on the wall and accept defeat in the Democratic nomination race (full disclosure - I am NOT a Hillary supporter), I have a very hard time believing that this will happen.

All of our experience with the Clinton political machine indicates that when times get tough, the tough get mean. I firmly anticipate smears, libels, outright lies, and quite possibly an attempt to manipulate the entire nomination process (i.e. getting delegates from states that aren't supposed to be allowed at the convention).

If eight years of the Clinton White House taught us anything, it should be that there's nothing more dangerous than a wounded Hillary.