Does the New Hampshire Primary – I can remember when it billed itself "First in the Nation" – tell us who the next president will be? Certainly not.
Four years ago Hillary Rodham Clinton beat Barack Obama in New Hampshire. It did not lead her to the White House. He lives there now; she has a nice office over at the State Department. John McCain won the Republican primary that same year and went on to become his party's nominee. He winters in Arizona now, not on Pennsylvania Avenue. Does this mean anything? Probably not.
The glory of the American system is that, sometimes at least, it is mysterious – which is to say it's hard for thumbsuckers like me to pick a winner. The Democrats have nothing to worry about tomorrow. They have a candidate, President Obama, even though 13 Democrats are on the ballot in New Hampshire, running against him. Don't bet on them – not even on Vermin Supreme – count on it being Obama.
But what about the Republicans? Mitt Romney may be the frontrunner, but it's still a wide open field. Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah, used to be ambassador to China and is probably better known there than here. Unlike Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Gingrich and Paul, he has yet to enjoy a fleeting moment as the favored "non-Romney." But polls show him rising in these last hours. Could his timing be perfect and bring a win tomorrow? Well, we'll see. Tomorrow we'll explain exactly who won and why – and what it all means. That's tomorrow, mind you, not today.
Today it's still the best reality show I know of. Stay tuned.
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