A Long, Long Trail A-Winding...

In a season when there is no outstanding candidates for president, it is a good thing that campaigning has begun early. A twenty month plus campaign may indeed be too much, but the general public should take the positive view. If the present climate is any indication of what we may expect from these "best and brightest" among us, then we are in for a prolonged bout of mud throwing and slime wallowing, intensifying as the months grind on.

We are seeing a gradual deterioration of civility among the candidates and we may expect greater animosity as the going gets tougher. Already we've seen the Clinton and the Obama organizations come to verbal blows. Among others, David Geffen's comments about Hillary Clinton's mendacious political instincts and his support for the Messiah of the Masses Barack Obama set off a row that stirred the juices of the political punditry. Word was leaked that Obama might have Muslim ties; these were soon dispelled by a check of the records, but it did roil the waters temporarily. Both tried to weasel their way into Selma, Alabama, history as only callous politicians can. The Chappaqua Shrew's campaign train keeps barreling down the tracks, but as one supporter said, "I support all her positions, but I fear she can't connect with people because she won't allow the real Hillary to step forward." But a keen observer can see the chinks in her armor as her campaign progresses, so maybe the real Hillary shouldn't step forward.

While the Democrats appear to have settled on their front-runners, the Republican field of candidates is quite unsettled with no candidate having a clear head start. John McCain, the presumptive GOP leader, has so far shown a lackluster effort, placing him in third place behind Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. The GOP field is so unsettled two other potential candidates are testing the political waters - Chuck Hagel, senator from Nebraska, and Terry Thompson, former four-term governor of Wisconsin. Hagel, to be more precise, put his toe in the water, then quickly withdrew it - a positive sign from a hesitant would-be. Thompson touts his experience as governor and Bush appointee as pluses to justify his run.

Theodore Sorenson has come out in support of Obama for Democratic candidate to the highest office. He compares the fledgling Obama candidacy to that of John Kennedy's foray into presidential politics. Sorenson could be wishfully thinking in his dotage; it may be that Obama is more in the mold of Jimmy Carter than Jack Kennedy, what with his vague 4H motif - hope, heart, home, health - and anti-Washington schtick.

Fred Thompson may decide to run, which would give the Republicans a creditable conservative candidate more in the mold of Ronald Reagan. And then there's Newt.

With so much time ahead, who knows what blunders, errors, missteps, and miscalculations these most ambitious of people can muster. In fact, the next president of the United States may not be any of these "chosen few."