I’m anticipating the campaign/PAC/issue group/push poll phone calls will be absolutely out of control for the next four days. I can’t decide between unplugging the land line or just turning the ringers off.

Word of the day: Huckenfreude. It’s the enjoyment one feels watching the Republican establishment squirm as the theocons assert themselves. It would be a little more enjoyable if Huckabee wasn’t as fake as the Mittster, but without Willard’s thin veneer of competence.

Paleocon watch – will Fox allow Ron Paul to debate? If not, will they throw Rudy! 9/11! out too? I’m a little surprised that Paul is not polling better here in NH – his brand of libertarian-inflected conservatism seems like a good match.

Media watch – it’s very apparent this go-round how wedded traditional media is to certain narratives. I don’t think it’s a new thing; what is new is that there are other voices willing to pull the curtain back. The narrative rolling at us here in NH is that of a resurgent John McCain. He’s been on the rise here, no doubt about it – but apparently a 4th place finish in the IA caucuses is a mandate.

The guy I was very close to voting for – telecom retroactive-immunity filibustering Chris Dodd – dropped out. Heavy sigh – back to the drawing board. I heard An American Tune on the radio this morning and it actually brought tears to my eyes.

And I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered
I don’t have a friend who feels at ease
I don’t know a dream that’s not been shattered
or driven to its knees
but it’s all right, it’s all right
for we lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the
road we’re traveling on
I wonder what’s gone wrong
I can’t help it, I wonder what’s gone wrong

Time for the antidote – Anarchy in the UK or The Guns of Brixton as loud as it’ll go.

Update – great media/McCain snark:

I think Kansas will beat Virginia Tech, but the real winner of the Orange Bowl will be John McCain as the merest thought of football reminds voters of his toughness. *