Reliable as always, Hillary Clinton has come up with a Solution to the crisis of finding another running mate after Barack Obama turned down the job.  Rumor has it that Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live has agreed to play Clinton's proposed Vice President at the Democratic Convention in Denver this August.

The crisis arose yesterday when Barack Obama reminded the Clintons that, notwithstanding last week's results in Ohio, he is still the front-runner by a long distance as calculated in states won, votes cast or delegates pledged.  Furthermore, he informed his opponent that he was not available to be her running mate in 2008, as he had made  plans to star in his own series this Fall.  It is not clear how Clinton intends to overcome the vote and delegate hurdles, but at least she has a running mate if she succeeds.

Remember the Alamo...

The March 4 Texas (and possibly Ohio) primary may be the decisive, if not final battleground for Hillary Clinton's campaign to win the 2008 Democratic nomination.  Like Col. William Travis of the epic tale, she is making an Alamo-like last stand in the face of Barack Obama's insurgency that has dissolved her once formidable lead in Texas polls.  As an irony of history and in contrast with the original narrative, Hillary Clinton is hoping that Mexican-American voters concentrated along the southern border of the Lone Star State will, along with white women and lower income/education voters, come to her rescue.  

But Don't Forget the Green Mountain Boys

Generally ignored is the fact that, in addition to the Texas and Ohio primaries, there are two other primaries scheduled with a total of 370 delegates at stake on March 4: Texas 193, Ohio 141, Rhode Island 21 and Vermont 15.  These numbers do not include Super-delegates.  

Vermont has a tradition of political independence even older than that of the Lone Star State.  After all, Vermont was briefly a republic before it became the fourteenth state.  That tradition is reflected in the fact the current governor is a Republican (Jim Douglas), while its Senators include a Democrat (Pat Leahy) and a socialist (Bernie Sanders).  Primaries are open, with citizens able to choose the party ballot they want to vote on.  And first-time registrants still have to sign a modern version of the Freeman's Oath, declaring they will vote their conscience and not let anyone tell them how to vote.      

There is More...

(The author, a former diplomat whose duties included observing and reporting on foreign elections, is a volunteers supporter of Barack Obama.)

As my 5-day visit to Las Vegas comes to an end, I leave with some trepidation about the preparations for and integrity of the Nevada caucuses scheduled at 11:00 on Saturday morning, January 19, 2008.   Of the four "early states" in the Presidential nominee selection process, the Nevada caucus poses the most daunting challenge to the Obama campaign.  There is a very real possibility it will be eclipsed by results and momentum established by the winner(s) in Iowa and New Hampshire.  Nonetheless, organizing for a win here remains a high priority.      

A variety of factors combine to make this state one of the most difficult places in the US to operate politically.  In fact, one has to wonder whether the Democratic Party fully understood what it was agreeing to in August 2006, when it decided to anoint Nevada as an "early state".  Nevada is considered a "swing-state," but except for Bill Clinton's victories in 1992 and 1996, it voted Republican in every other Presidential election since 1980.  Also, its current governor and junior senator are both Republicans.  The tradition of political apathy fits neatly with the state's economic mainstay.  So, in gaming parlance, Nevada's political elite, particularly Harry Reid and his son Rory, are playing "high stakes" with their state's image and personal reputations.  While the current odds do not favor Obama, in the end it may be his campaign that lends needed legitimacy to the Nevada caucus.

The author is a former diplomat whose duties included reporting and analysis of foreign political developments.  He is an active Obama supporter, as evidenced by his previous post regarding the experience of attending Camp Obama.  

Like many other Obama backers, he is sometimes frustrated by the fact his candidate does not appear to be doing better in polls, particularly at the national level.  It is still relatively early in the race, and Obama fares better in the early states of Iowa, NH and SC.  So he decided to post here this layman's guide to polling to promote understanding among those who are relatively new to political activism, regardless of which candidate they support.  

The writer is a regular contributor to this website (at least in the past month).  He has never been on Jeopardy, but Old Movies and Dirty Tricks would definitely be his favorite categories.

by Mark Wiznitzer

The author is a former diplomat whose duties included reporting and analysis of foreign political developments.  The fundraising data reported in this article is from opensecrets.com and usaelectionpolls.com.

What is a 57-year old man doing in a week-long summer camp designed for campaign interns and volunteers?  Especially one who has spent much of his professional life as a political reporter and analyst with the U.S. Department of State.  The answer: learning new skills and networking.  But most of all, getting in touch with the reason that I believe this is the most important election of my lifetime.

This blog originally appeared at
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community /blog/markwiznitzer