The subject of today's sermon is pride--as well as money and power--cometh before a tumble.
The Iowa polls show people with names hardly anyone knew a year ago, Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama, leading the former First Lady, the celebrity hero of 9/11 and the former governor who is spending tons of money there.
In New Hampshire, the only paper that counts, the Union Leader, endorses John McCain as "the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination" who "can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water."
There are, of course, still promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep (pace Robert Frost) in this season of decision, but today's news is oddly heartening. Somehow, in the face of all the conventional wisdom and the smart money, Americans are struggling to make up their own minds about who is best suited to keep them safe and sane in a turbulent world.
In Iowa, women and younger voters are turning toward Obama, while Huckabee is tapping into social conservatives and the middle-aged.
McCain's endorsement from a paper that doesn't "agree with him on every issue" is all about character.
"When McCain was shot down and taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese," the Union Leader notes, "he was repeatedly beaten. When his captors discovered that his father was a top U.S. admiral, they ordered him released for propaganda purposes. But McCain refused, insisting that longer-held prisoners be released before him. So they beat him some more. He never gave in then, and he won't give in to our enemies now."
In one place, at least, that trumps Rudy Giuliani's performance on 9/11 and Fred Thompson's on "Law and Order."
Most of all, the voters seem to be sending a clear message: Don't take us for granted--or fools.
This is only good. Huckabee and Obama is my "Sorkin matchup."
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