Process to replace Bush begins… FINALLY!

Last night was the Iowa caucus, or as we all see it for the Chimp sitting in the Oval Office: the beginning of the end.

Democrats came out in record numbers last night, and their voice was heard loud and clear. With close to 40% of the vote, Senator Barack Obama laid the smackdown on former first lady Hillary Clinton. Not only did Hillary not win the caucas last night, but she had less votes than John Edwards who squeezed out a narrow victory for second place! Last night’s vote had to be a shock to the Clinton camp, because 71% of the vote was against her. Iowa made their thoughts heard, they want something different in Washington, not a repeat of the same two names they’ve had in office the last two decades.

On the Republican side, they managed to prove to the world that there is someone out there that is worse than George W. Bush… giving 34% of the vote to former governor/minister Mike Huckabee. But with half a dozen canidates, you know the vote is going to be much closer between him and Romney when some of the other wannabes bow out. McCain and Thompson’s numbers would have been enough for anyone to pass Huckabee, so I’m not sure if last night is an indication of anything, especially since the evangelical voters are not going to save him on Super Tuesday.

I took the time to watch all the speeches last night, and here are how I found them from best to worst:

1. Barack Obama: In a word: Presidental. What an amazing speech he gave last night, one that I think gives him the best momentum going into New Hampshire. This speech was up there with the first jaw dropping one he gave at the national convention in 2004. People hung on every word, and there was a touch of Martin Luther King Jr. greatness in his voice. This guy looked Presidental last night and that doesn’t bode well for any of the other Democrats or Repubs trying to vie for office.

2. John Edwards: He had reason to be happy, and it showed in his speech. Finishing second ahead of Hillary was something to be proud of and his anti-lobby, anti-corporate speeches are what got him there and he repeated the message with all guns firing. Fight for the middle class, fight for healthcare for those who can’t get it. It was a message that worked to finish well in Iowa and I can’t see why it won’t work again next week.

3. Mike Huckabee: Last night when I was watching this guy make his speech, I was wondering how the hell did this bugger manage to pull this off. Then in the background the answer became evident: smiling ear to ear behind Mike was no other than Chuck Norris. Now we have a new fact to add to Chuck’s list: The American people don’t choose presidents, Chuck Norris does. Still, his speech was more impressive than the ones given by the losers posted below.

4. Mitt Romney: We finished with the Silver! (Yippee!) How lame is that? Celebrating a second place finish? At least Edwards showed a smigen of disappointment for not winning.

5. Hillary Clinton: I really think her goose is cooked, and thank goodness because her speech was awful! She was boring, flat, and completely absent of any emotion. Her husband didn’t win Iowa either during his first run for the ticket, but unlike his campaign… I don’t see a comeback coming from her in the future. With the next caucas only five days away, they’re too cramed together for her to change the message and reboot the campaign. Bill managed to come back and win because he was able to charm a crowd, Hillary couldn’t win a crowd if her life depended on it and that’s why her comeback isn’t going to happen.

6. Rudy Giuliani: He really didn’t give a speech, cause he wasn’t even in Iowa last night. He was interviewed by CNN on a live feed from Florida, a state that he clearly admitted was much more important to dump funds into than Iowa was. If he didn’t believe Iowa was worth the effort, why bother showing up for the debates before bolting? His ‘who gives a rat’s ass about Iowa?’ speil is the only reason Hillary isn’t dead last in this list.

So now the effort moves on, and with a more packed schedule, we’ll see a more clear frontrunner by February 4th which is this year’s super Tuesday. I predict a few bigger names will drop out by then and their numbers will make a profound difference in the eventual vote. One thing is for sure, massive increases in voter turnouts show how eager people are to replace the moron in office.

One thing that should scare Republicans however was the fact that the democrats almost doubled the number of voters that the Repubs managed to get out there last night. If that kind of turnout occurs on November 4th, it’s going to be another bad election night for the elephant. I’ll tell you this much right now, the only way Huckabee has any chance of beating Obama in November would be if he made Chuck Norris his VP running mate. Seriously, I don’t think any the Republican canidates have the presence that Obama showed last night. Last night was also historic as it was the first time Iowa voted for an African American, period. If that doesn’t tell you America is ready for a change, nothing will.

It will be interesting to see if Romney or Hillary are able to make a comeback or if they fade into the night and disappear. All I know is one thing: the next few primaries are going to be interested to watch. Will people keep their momentum or will others make that dramatic comeback? With nothing else to watch due to the writers strike, this will have to do for now.

Peter