Here, for what little these things may be worth, is my take on the Democratic Primaries. A week or two ago, the story was the inevitability of Dean. Now, it's the Kerry comeback and coming up, we have primaries in Arizona (where Clark will probably do well), South Carolina (which Edwards will take in a walk) and Oklahoma (where both those guys will do well). Ergo, before we get near a winner, we'll probably sit through a cycle of stories about Clark breaking through, and one comparing Edwards' performance to when Clinton came from behind in the primaries to seize the nomination. I dunno which of those four guys will triumph but I think they'll each have their turn in the spotlight. Dean will probably have at least one more turn and I'll bet that if and when it looks to be dissolving, he'll give the most tempered, non-screaming speech of his life.
I see a lot of weblogs and pundits moaning that Lieberman, Kucinich and Sharpton should have dropped out by now. The first two will probably do so before long but I have to assume that the Reverend Al is not at all surprised by where he stands and that it serves his purpose in running. He's much too smart a guy to ever have thought he had a chance to win. Going into a couple of past conventions, the oft-asked question was, "What does Jesse want?" meaning that the Reverend Jackson had just enough support that he had to be appeased with some sort of concession — a plank in the platform, a featured speech, a promised cabinet appointment, whatever. Soon, we'll be hearing, "What does Al want?" Based on his last few talk show appearances, I'd say he's already got it. Is there anyone else out there who can even suggest that they speak for Black America?