SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

The voting is over in New Hampshire, and I must say I'm of two minds on the results.

The generational warrior in me who believes the baby boomers are ruining the country isn't happy to see any member of The Lamest Generation win anything. And in that respect, Hillary's razor-thin win in New Hampshire is kind of a disappointment. But the political nerd in me wants this race to go on as long as possible, so perhaps this isn't so bad after all.

Last night I read wire reports of Hillary's teary breakdown at a campaign appearance and thought, "this woman's campaign is falling apart." 24 hours later I hunted down the footage on YouTube and this is what I saw.


That's it? That's the big breakdown? It looks like nothing more than a few moments of studied vulnerability from a person who received the instruction to be "more human." Forget it and move on.

If there's anything to be taken from the primary process so far is that no one is unstoppable. A month or so ago, Hillary was the unstoppable force. On Monday Obama was a lock. Today, well, who knows.

The other lesson is that McCain isn't dead yet. Most major media organizations were writing his political obituary last summer. Now he's the golden boy again after winning the Republican primary in New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, a few questions remain. Will Rudi Giuliani's large state strategy work when everyone has been essentially ignoring him? Will anyone tell Fred Thompson that he's running for president? Will anyone unlock the patio door and let Mike Gravel in? He's getting cold out there.

Next week Michigan holds a stupid and boring primary that will feature only Hilliary on the ballot for the Democrats (the reasons for this are just too lame to be explained). Then Nevada holds a caucus that was supposed to be important, but everyone is ignoring it.

Then you've got South Carolina. With the Democratic and Republican races up in the air, South Carolina will be in important state for all he candidates (including Thompson if he wakes up). That's right, the people who brought you the Civil War are being trusted to pick the next president. I wonder how that will go.

Enough rambling for now. Some time this week I'll talk more about lonely, neglected Oregon, and why nobody cares who we vote for.