You are the decider

It's about that time of year, which is to say that the mid-term elections are finally settled, and we can really start getting excited about the 2008 presidential race. So I'm happy to usher in an occasional political series you'll see between now and November 4, 2008 (if the blog lasts that long). I call it "You are the decider" and I've even come up with a schmancy graphic:

Downright Fox News-ish, right? Those are bulls pooping in those red circles, by the way.

Alright, on to the thoughtful analysis.

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich is in, people. I wonder if he was ever out, though. I seem to recall that he never released his delegates in 2004, because he refused to concede even after the voters waived the white flag and picked John Kerry.

Anyway, I'm ready to go ahead and anoint Kucinich the democratic nominee.

That is, unless the coronation of someone else is already underway (at right). But how could a freshman senator even consider running for president? Ludicrous.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama's efforts to spell out an agenda notwithstanding, he does have the most powerful asset any candidate can offer: He is largely a blank canvas on which voters can project their hopes and ambitions. He is also unencumbered by a long Congressional voting record that would make him an easy target for opponents. He is also not a divisive figure whose negatives poll in the 40s.

Maybe I was too quick to declare Kucinich the winner.