The Wide Open Presidential Race

It seems as though none of the presidential candidates, Democrat or Republican, have caught on to the degree that they can claim a commanding lead. Hillary used to be the "inevitable" winner on the Democrat side, but she has lost that status in recent weeks. None of the Republicans seem to be able to inspire their own rank and file. The fact is, the American public seems to not be too thrilled with anyone running for president this time around. All of the Republicans are running as if Dubbya Bush was a successful president, which he wasn't, and the Democrats with any real experience and principles (Dodd, Biden, Kucinich) are way back in the polls. Here's columnist David Brooks analysis of the race from today's New York Times:

My guess is that this race has a few more twists and turns. Something
terrible could happen in the world, in which case the wartime mentality would be
back in spades. Obama and Huckabee could beat Clinton and Romney,
respectively, in the early states, only to fall victim to their own weaknesses
later on. You laugh, but this thing could still spin into the lap of Fred
Thompson or John McCain, Chris Dodd or Joe Biden.

Actually, that would be refreshing. It's time to really shake up politics in this country. However, none of these candidates (Thompson, McCain, Biden, Dodd) represent the kind of change that we need.

PHOTO: The beautiful holiday tree at Philadelphia's "Love Park."

Jim