Hot Damn! We got ourselves a race! But it's gettin' ugly.

Well, I for one am extremely happy that we have a real race for both the Democratic and the Republican nominations this year. There may be hope for our democracy, after all. As the horses left the gate there were a lot more Democratic spectators actually getting themselves to the track and placing their bets, but there was still a high turn out on the Republican side, as well. Now that the "horses" have rounded the first turn, and a few horses have fallen back, but none has taken a commanding lead, voters are started to press the rails for a closer look. It is getting interesting--and in some cases ugly.

Bill Clinton, for instance, is out of control as far as I am concerned. I admire what he was able to do for our country. But the guy has to get out of the way. His temper is not helping the Democratic Party. His rants about Obama not getting enough negative press, his accusations of voter suppression in Nevada, his branding of Obama's Iraq policy as a "fairytale" is all getting to be a bit much. Who of any substance is going to want to be Hillary's vice president? It is as though Bill sees this election as a referendum on his legacy instead of a decision on the best course for our future as a nation. As much as a I fault the Republican organization for their near constant assault on the Clinton White House, and as much as I think the impeachment of our President over a lie about his sex life was inexcusable, I also fault Clinton himself for allowing it to come to that. I will never forget the betrayal I felt for believing President Clinton when he came on TV after the Super Bowl and wagged his finger at me and millions of Americans and said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Bill Clinton needs to get out of the way and Hillary needs to push him.

Meanwhile, I have been reading Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, and I am finding it to be much more substantive than I expected it to be. I am pleased. The moment in the debate last week, in which each of the three Democratic candidates was asked to share their biggest weakness was extremely enlightening. Obama was the only one of the three who really stated a weakness. He said he was disorganized with paperwork and that his desk was a mess. Rather than really address any weakness she might have, Clinton jumped on Obama and made the point that the President of the United States has to be able to organize and lead a large government. She came back to this point many times, but let's be real folks. The President of the United States will have a secretary to look after his filing system. Of course, the next President will have to be organized in his thinking and have to oversee a huge bureaucracy, but he also needs to have big, uniting ideas to put this country back on the right course. By the end of the night, I was ready to nominate Hillary as Obama's Chief of Staff.

Today, on the eve of Martin Luther King Day, Obama gave an incredible speech in Atlanta. The speech spoke of a need for unity in both speech and in deed. It was extremely powerful and hopeful.
Click here to see this amazing speech. Recently, however, some of Barack Obama's supporters have taken to accusing the Clinton's of being racist or of down-playing the importance of Martin Luther King, himself. Self-serving the Cintons might be, but racists, I don't think so. This is going to be a real race and Democrats can not be in the business of alienating either Obama's or Clinton's supporters, because they may really need them in the fall.

On the Republican side each contests seems to bring a new line-up at the finish line. Of course, Romney has won more than the others, but for the amount of money he's throw around... Not getting much of a bang for the buck. It's wide open. Even Giuliani hasn't been counted out and he hasn't come close to winning anything, but with his eggs in Florida's basket, and Super Tuesday just beyond, who knows? Huckabee has made quite a showing far less resources than the Romney machine--mostly by being genuine and mentioning Jesus and actually meaning it.

The biggest surprise of all is McCain's resurgence in the polls. He needed the win in South Carolina and he got it. He was counted out months ago and now is coming back. I really think that he is the one that Democrats should fear most. He speaks truth to power and he draws independent voters. Watch out. I myself was a fan of McCain before he started budding up to the same evangelical extremists he had originally denounced as damaging to the party a few years back. But recently he has done some things that really make me think that he may be back to his old self again--seen the error of his ways. He went to South Carolina and announced that he regretted not having spoken out against their flag, which incorporates the cross of the Confederacy, which many see as a divisive symbol -- a constant reminder of a time when blacks were enslaved and later segregated from much of this nation's civic life. I believe Democrats should view him as the most dangerous of the Republicans in their quest to recapture the White House.

In the meantime, Mayor Bloomberg of New York has been down here in Texas and out in California--making the political rounds. I doubt he will step into the race as an independent if McCain wins the Republican nomination, but look for him to seriously consider a run if Huckabee or Guiliani get the nod--especially if they end up being pitted against Clinton. Obama is more widely seen as appealing to independents. Mrs. Clinton is not. How many will be willing to change horses mid-stream? This race is going to get very interesting.

Who will endorse who? Who will be asked to join the tickets in the number two spot? Many things could affect the course of this contest. Currently, the economy is surging as a major issue for the electorate, but there are so many powder kegs around the World that one match could easily set any number of international conflicts ablaze. At least on the Republican side, we can expect to see a couple more jockeys thrown from their mounts and if Edwards comes up lame, and it looks like he might, where will his supporters put their money? He either makes it around the turn in South Carolina or his race is all but over.

The mud is flying and so is the money. There is no safe bet. And the odds keep changing. Could we actually go all the way to the conventions??? That's the political equivalent to a photo finish. And then we'll be off again.

You know, I am disappointed that Biden is not still in the chase. I hold open the hope that Obama will choose him as a vice presidential running mate. I think the two would complement each other nicely on several levels, but whatever happens one thing is sure, the electorate has become more involved than it has been in quite some time. I am pleasantly surprised that pundits were wrong about the front-loading of the election cycle. Many said that it would mean that the eventual nominees would be known even sooner than usual. Almost all agreed that money and establishment organizations would rule the day. But that has not been the case.

Huckabee won Iowa with little cash. Obama has won contests and been competitive in others despite Hillary Clinton's establishment machine. In Nevada, though Obama came in second in the popular vote at the caucuses, he managed to collect one more delegate than Clinton, and she had the former President and the son of the Democratic Majority Leader fighting for her hard in that state. Will we make it all the way to the convention without a nominee in either party? Maybe not, but maybe so. And who'd of thunk it? And when the winners get ready for the photo-op in the winner's circle, will Bloomberg be there to steal the trophy. I don't know race fans, but hold on to those tickets. No pay outs until it's official.