Joe Biden ⇑ Joe gets a little nudge because Vilsack dropped out. He won’t get all of Vilsack’s support by any means, but he will get some.
Wesley Clark ⇓ Now the General says that any announcement is three months away. He may as well wait until the Inauguration for all the good an announcement will do him in June. This will be his last time on ups and downs.
Hillary Clinton ⇔ Is this woman going to “get it” on Iraq? I’m starting to suspect that she’s waiting to admit her mistake until it has maximum impact (say, this November). She won’t get a lot of people back, but she’ll get some. Plus, she probably gains the lion’s share of Vilsack’s support. Fun fact: Clinton is currently the Ladbrokes betting house’s odds-on favourite to win the whole thing.
Chris Dodd ⇑ Dodd is enjoying what will likely be a couple periods of “second looks”, not least of all because of his online advertising and sponsorship of legislation capping Iraq troops. Another beneficiary of the shrinking field.
John Edwards ⇔ Showed leadership on boycotting the recently deceased FoxNews/Nevada debate. May be enough to rescue him from his nearly completed relegation to the second tier.
Al Gore ⇓ King of the Oscar Ceremony. But a pattern is emerging: the closer a pundit is to Gore and his circle, the lower they peg the probability that he will run (then again, a single from Chinese Democracy is now on radio, so never say ever I suppose).
Mike Gravel ⇔ Any month that ends with him still in the race is a good month for Gravel. Recent winner of the lolorb endorsement.
Dennis Kucinich ⇔ If you weren’t paying attention in 2004, then it’s new to you!
Barack Obama ⇔ Current leader in the “Earliest Iraq Departure Date” sweepstakes. A quiet month working the hustings.
Bill Richardson ⇔ Joined Edwards in withdrawing from the FoxNews/Nevada debate before its demise. Well-received on his inaugural visit to Iowa, also doing well in New Hampshire.
Tom Vilsack ⇓ Money troubles sink his campaign already, scrambling Iowa nicely. Top accomplishment: his logo, seemingly ripped from a supporting cast member in a Marvel comic.
I hope to see Mike Gravel at every debate, maybe even the fright-wing sponsored Fox ones. I’d even pay to see a Roger Ailes vs. Mike Gravel debate on ethics in the media.
…and inherited his awesome political machine?
Vilsack’s “machine” is frankly the property of Senator Harkin, who had loaned it to Vilsack for his gubernatorial race. One of the reasons Vilsack dropped out is that was not a guarantee for his presidential run. Given their ideological similarity, and establishment status, I would imagine Hillary with benefit the most from Vilsack’s drop out.
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In totally unrelated news, came across this nuggest today that shows just how broad Chris Axelrod’s influence has become, going beyond Obama and Patrick, and even the US:
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This is the post-election message of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, which enjoyed minor ups in the wake of the recent “last-chance” election in Northern Ireland.