Some Reader Reax

Just a smattering of your thoughts:

It's times like this when I remember that political parties, not the American public, choose the nomines. The Democrats turned out for Hillary. If they want her, they can have her. Just please God, give me McCain as the alternative. Otherwise, I'm out. Once I've known hope, I can't settle for something else.

A re-roller:

As a lifelong Democrat, come February 6th, I am rerolling (as the kids with their fancy computer games like to say) Independent. This party would rather brawl with, and lose to, the Republicans out in the schoolyard than try to come together and achieve anything loftier than keeping Roe v. Wade as good law.

Someone get me a McCain '08 sticker ... These current Dems would have nominated Adlai Stevenson over Kennedy in 1960.

McCain hurt Obama:

I have a feeling that a lot of the Independent voters liked both Obama and McCain and when they saw that Obama had a 10 point lead they opted to vote for McCain who looked to be in a much tighter race.

Madder than ever:

This loss by Obama might be the best thing for him if the reaction of my wife and I are any indication. This Clinton victory is making us mad at hell. Rather than be resentful of the voters of New Hampshire, it is propelling us into becoming more involved in the campaign under the premise of "we're not going to let this happen in our state". Neither one of us could handle the partisan awfulness that would be the reality of the Clinton presidency. She is not an agent of change, she is an agent of self-importance.

It was a good chance to see how he handles defeats and setbacks; based on his speech, he handles it pretty damn well.

I said my piece here, but I do think that if Obama struggles and fights and wins a long, tough campaign, he will help dispel some of the sense that he is a neophyte and inexperienced - his major liabilities in the fall. This can help him. He's the under-dog again. And he can - and, I think, will still win.