Second Thoughts on Iowa: Obama, et al.

I heard one of the speeches he gave today to his young, energized base of supporters in Iowa, asking them to defy the conventional wisdom that they wouldn't turn up tomorrow, that everything would go as expected -- in Iowa; in the battle against the GOP machine for November; back in Washington next January, etc.

The man makes a good case for himself. We'll see whether it sticks in his core enthusiasts' young minds when the caucuses open tomorrow in chilly Iowa.

But I have to say that I'm glad I'm not an Iowan right now. I'd be quite happy to see Hillary in the White House... not just because she's a woman... but because she seems like the right woman at the right time. I think that, if she got in there, she'd do a fine job.

On the other hand, I find Obama much more likable, more honorable, less cynical; and, as for Edwards, I like what he's saying, although I can't help but wonder how quickly he'd be willing to change his tune (even faster than Hillary, I suspect) when it comes to the general race...

I think Dodd, Biden, and Richardson would all make excellent presidents, and, if it weren't for the whole UFO thing, I'd be totally on board with Kucinich and his zany peacenik agenda...

And if I swung the other way, there's much I admire about Ron Paul and John McCain -- the personal integrity of both and the foreign policy attitude of the former; I find Giuliani oddly charming in his inability to justify his hopelessly campaign-toxic personal life; was moved by Romney's tears on "Meet the Press" (even if they turn out to be as fake as everything else about him. What can I say? I'm a softie sometimes.) And that Mike Huckabee has a fine sense of humor, even if he is a Right Wing nutter. Since Tancredo's out and Duncan Hunter's hanging by a thread, the only one left that really bugs me is Thompson, and that's mostly because he just seems so ambivalent about it all. I get the feeling he doesn't really want the job, which is just as well, because, at this point, he's not going to get it.

Anyhoo, here's one of the lighter moments of Obama's speech (I assume he's paraphrasing himself and his colleague here, but who knows?)

OBAMA: ... and when I got to Washington, I did the same thing, passing the toughest ethics package since Watergate, so that lobbyists could not buy meals or give gifts or lend corporate jets to members of Congress.

(APPLAUSE)

And if they wanted to bundle money, they had to disclose it for the first time.

(APPLAUSE)

And I have to say, it wasn't easy. It wasn't just lobbyists that opposed it. My colleagues opposed it, too, some of them.

I remember, there was one senator, when I told him how we were going to ban meals from lobbyists, he said, "Well, what am I supposed to eat?"

(LAUGHTER)

You expect me to eat at McDonald's?"

And I said, "Well, actually, many of your constituents do eat at McDonald's."

(LAUGHTER)

But since you make over $160,000 a year, you can eat at Applebee's. You can afford it."

(LAUGHTER)

You can go upscale, a fine dining experience...