MATTOON: THE DOWNSTATE PART OF A BLUE STATE GETS THE RIGID DIGIT FROM MCFLIGHTSUIT

Oh, guys, that $1.5B Coal operation to boost the coal industry by creating the "cleanest coal-based energy in the world"? Yeah, you won the bid.....but we're scrubbing it. You're getting the "Blue Screw". Seems to me we got the same screw with the SuperCollider when we were a Red State. Maybe it's not politics. Maybe it's just because we're "Flyover and Flush" territory.

I'm sure Our Republican Friends from the Illinois Delegation will flip this. Somehow, I can't wait to hear Aaron Schock tap dance on this puppy.

Thanks, Georgie. The people of downstate Illinois Love you even more than we did yesterday, more or less.

KWAME

Proves you don't have to be white or a republican to wake up on third base and believe you hit a triple. This guy had it absolutely whipped. Anything good stuck to him like he was velcroed. Anything bad bounced off like he was kevlar. He picked the right father-in-law, the right time to run and the right Gubernatorial candidate to get behind. Heck, I knew Suburban Republicans who really, really liked the guy and thought he was the right leader for the City.

The luxury SUV lease for his wife, courtesy of the city? No big deal....bookkeeping error. The strip club party for his security detail? No proof, other than the testimony of a few disgruntled cops.

With that kind of luck, why not push it? Don't just take a dip in the office talent pool. Don't just text message your horniness. Make sure you do it on a device that's city property so the results are a public record under Michigan law. Then make sure you lose the entire female vote by running off the woman while you do your in-church apology on closed circuit TV (with no annoying reporters around to ask you messy pesty questions.) and remain in office.

I have a friend who's a homicide investigator. He says there's only three things that underlay all murders: Money, Power, Love (he includes revenge for taking any of them away or threatening them in those categories). That would be a pretty good summary of how politicians are disgraced, as well.

Two points off for being weak. Five penalty points for being stupid.

BE WATCHING FOR THE ANGEL OF DEATH TONIGHT

I can't remember the name of the CBS show. It always revolved around the Angel of Death showing up and taking someone to "the other side".

Tonight, in Florida, the Angel is likely to take Rudy to a different side. Rudy is going to Giuliani Partners. Notice I didn't say "back" to Giuliani Partners. That's because the GP to which he returns will not be the cash machine it once was. It's much more expensive to do business with a future president than a former mayor who looks like Janos Skorzeny minus a couple pints of O negative. The customer list will be smaller and the rates will be lower.

Ya see, Florida was Rudy's firewall state. It was a good plan. Don't play in Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan, then hit 'em with a socko-boffo win in Fla. Very fine plan.

But Rudy didn't have the resolve to stick to his own plan. Instead, he played "a little" in those places. He stuck his toe in. And he got blasted everywhere he was a dilletante candidate. That ruptured confidence among his Florida Peeps and his relocated New Yorkers in the sunshine state. Soon he was reeling. Every answer to every question had (credit to Joe Biden) three basic elements "A subject, a verb and 9/11". His very reasonable explanations for the way he handled illegals in NYC began to sound like sembling. He backtracked on his gay-tolerance and his abortion stance. He was the same empty suit as Romney, only without the moral standards. Kerik hurt a little, not much. And that all might have been OK, still, simply because Romney disagrees like a sissy and Giuliani can argue like the trial lawyer he once was.

But nobody allowed for the Crazy Uncle with a Head of Steam. McCain took the security vote, the Thompson vote, the Veteran vote and, by accident, even the Cubano vote. The Mormon with One Wife Took the arbitrager/fortune 500 wannabe and his share of the Blue Hair vote. The firewall was now fully engulfed in flames. He has to get out before he loses New York to the Crazy Uncle or the Empty Suit.

I don't know whether the Crazy Uncle or the Empty Suit wins tonight. For Rudy, it doesn't matter. He could have made his plan work. He either believed in it or he didn't. His dabbling behavior in Iowa, NH and Michigan shows that he didn't.

You will hear two stories tonight in the press about Rudy: One, the polling data he used to devise his strategy was bad (no, it was just based on polls taken before anyone started casting votes, always a dicey proposition); or, two, Rudy was a worse candidate than anticipated (no, he might have been better suited for NYC than the Panhandle, but he was a known, not bad commodity as a campaigner.). Rudy forgot an old maxim "Plan your work. Work your plan." As time went on, Rudy wandered away from his plan.

This is a very good night for a New York Mayor......but his name is not Rudy Giuliani. Bloomberg/Hagel will not be far behind this self-emolation.

THE HUMAN SIDE OF THE PRESIDENT

Yes, I did listen to the SOU. Yes, I agreed with the rest of the universe that it was thoroughly stubborn, unrelenting, unrealistic and even a little whiny. That's not what interested me about it.

Truly, this guy has been on the job in 8 different years. He's given 8 SOU's. This is the beginning of the end game. What must he have been feeling? How bitter was it in some ways? How sweet in others.

With WJC's last SOU, I knew exactly what he was feeling. His heart was in DaVos and he had one more chance to make a big world trade and AIDS lick. He was surely thinking a little nostalgia as well, as well as a bit of "What's next?"

But I can't think like W. thinks. I can't be that insular and disinterested. I really wondered, what is this guy feeling. He knows that, other than some smoke and mirrors "stimulus" package, he's not getting anything he's cheerleading for. At some level he knows the war he feels so lovely about is a mission without a defined mission statement. He probably won't miss the trappings. I have no doubt he's happier in Crawford.

But I'll bet there was some pride too. He faced a lot of adversity and he weathered it. His poll numbers are crap and his talented staff (other than Gates) are out the door--last one out, turn out the light!--but he's gonna finish his term. Interesting to close one's eyes and conjure on what he might have been thinking.

I think for the first time in this term, I was really interested in him on a personal level. Here's hoping the service he provided (however goofy I thought it was) didn't shorten his life. When he's done, I hope there's plenty of brushhogging on the ranch and golf with his Dad left.

A FRIEND OF THE BASIN PASSES ON: GOOD-BYE GORDON HINCKLEY

I had a fixed, rather negative of Gordon Hinckley until I met him and watched him work. What a guy! The Tri-States are richer in every way for his friendship.

We share the sadness of the LDS faithful, who have lost a steady leader and a beautiful personality. We can't share your beliefs but we can fully grasp your respect for and loyalty to this most remarkable American.

Condolences.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CALIBRATION: LEMME SEE IF I UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY

We've had two popular caucuses: Obama won one; Clinton won one. We've had two primaries: Clinton won one; Obama won one. We also have committed Superdelegates and delegates who have allowed themselves to be counted. Clinton has about a hundred more than Obama (with about two percent of the total decided). We're moving into a more national election on SD Tuesday, where Clinton is ahead in 18 of 20 States with primaries and three of the four entities with caucuses.

Teddy Kennedy just leaked he's endorsing Obama, which should be wonderful for Clinton in Mo. Kansas, Montana and Washington. Kennedy will also announce that he wants to take Obama on a car trip to an Eastern resort area. That could free up a lot of electoral votes.

(Now back to my serious point) So, in light of all this parity and opportunity, why are CNN and Fox burying Hillary Clinton as completely anihilated by the loss of one primary? I suspect some of the more hard bitten democrats will conclude that nobody is allowed to be the Prince of Good Feeling Generalities in a general election and they better elect somebody who's already been vetted by professionals Like the Arkansas Project and Kenny-Boy Starr (Boy, I miss watching him take his trash out--that clod didn't even recycle.) and come up goose eggs.

Don't worry, Be Hillary. The universe is unfolding as it should.

A.J. GRAVES: YOU GOTTA SEE THIS KID

If you even like college basketball at all, you must see this kid play for Butler U. He's probably the best short offensive player in the game today. Inside, outside, standing still or creating his own shot......a playah!

UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE PURPOSE OF A "STIMULUS PACKAGE"

If our friendly Federal Government is going to pass some kind of stimulus package for the current flatline economy, what should its purpose be? If it is a short term, temporary boost, then it stands to reason the gov't would want every dime spent back into the economy. In other words, you want to get money quickly into the hands of people who will spend all of it and invest none of it.

(Note: I'm skipping the whole question of the utility of the government in solving financial problems at all. Those who argue that the economy does what the economy does without Gov't guidance, have a point, but, for now, we're past that.)

What category of people could be counted on to spend every dime they rec'v in a check? How about those who are already doing it? Who would that be? Peeps righteously on unemployment. The people who lost their jobs get 26 weeks of UE, then they're toast. If we take all the people who have gone off Unemployment and who remain unemployed (meeting the search requirements) since, say, November, and we extend their benefits 18 to 26 weeks (Pick one, the other, or something in between. I don't care.) we have identified consumer spenders. That money is going to grocery stores, liquor stores, barber shops, car repair shops, drug stores and maybe even the odd department store. These people are going to spend the money.

The GOP objects to this saying it will encourage laziness and idleness. They surely do not understand unemployment law and practice. First, the recipient must look for work. Second, the recipient must accept comparable work or loses benefits. Third, the amount of UE is about 60% of the person's former earnings, on average, so there is a natural desire to reachieve that form of income. Our Right Wing friends see UE as a form of welfare. It is not. It is a social compact with the worker's state. The worker fulfills his portion by faithfully working. The employer pays a modest premium to fund the system. This has been so for about 70 years. The argument against extending unemployment is founded on a misunderstanding of the system and its importance to some of our most earnest producers.

For the democrats to have blinked on this is shameful. It's not too late to fix it. You want money into the working economy? Do as GHW Bush did and pump it in through the righteously and sadly unemployed.

The Basin knows where the spenders are in the basin.

THIS JUST IN!: BASIN PROPOSES DRAFT LEGISLATION

The Basin has submitted the following new law for consideration by the State Legislature:

"All Public Acts shall be named with a descriptive name detailing the subject matter covered and the purpose of the legislation. In no event will any legislation be named after or referred to as a Person's law, either by first name last name or nickname. Proper form shall be substantially, "An act in relation to..." , "The welfare of ...........Act" or "An act to ........" Under no circumstances shall a law be titled "....................'s Law"

Upon its passage this law shall be referred to and compiled as "Tony's Law"

RICK MAJERUS' BIBLE JOKE I'D NEVER HEARD

"My biggest Question of Faith is not The Resurrection or The Virgin Birth, but whether the Corinthians ever wrote back."

WOW, NOT ONLY IS THIS NFL PLAYOFF DAY BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY.....

It's the day we can count under a year until McFlightsuit returns to Crawford.

THERE'S STUPID AND THEN THERE'S WORLD CLASS STUPID

For several primaries, on both sides, I've heard pundits say, with a completely straight face.."The voters of (fill in the state) voted to have the process go on."

Voters vote for the candidate they like best (or dislike the least). Saying a McCain voter in N.H. or a Romney voter in Michigan voted to continue the process is an insult to the voters' intelligence and the an even bigger to the listeners' intelligence.

Give me a break.

DELEGATE COUNT THROUGH TODAY

Clinton --210

Obama --122

Edwards -- admirable but dead on arrival

GOLDBERG, PITTSFIELD, QND:

I think you meant "grazed".

NO NOOSE IS GOOD NOOSE: GOLFWEEK

I really can't add much here. Usually a very good publication did an extremely stupid thing. The whole episode is really sad and shows how much more we need to respect one another.

INSTANT JURY DUTY: GOT A PULSE, YOU'RE A JUROR!

click here

This is really interesting. I've often wondered if you wouldn't get a better civil jury just taking the first 12 people you could intercept on the street. This is pretty close to that!

Wonder how many of these summoned jurors would still not be showing up if JUST ONE did some jail time with press coverage for whizzing his summons.

OH, HOW IT PAINS ME TO SAY IT......

...... but Kansas is the best offensive team I've seen in college basketball in a long time. Remains to be seen whether they can play defense against a real powerhouse but they pass, catch and shoot the ball about 8 guys deep.

I'm so happy for ol' Bill Self.

THANK YOU COMCAST, FOR NOTHING: THANK YOU MSNBC FOR THE CURE

I'm one of the 11 people nationwide who actually wanted to watch the MSNBC debate last night. Of course, it was on MSNBC. Comcast provides MSNBC to about every other place it extracts subscriber payments, but not Quincy. When we used to call INSIGHT about it, they'd just snicker and say something like "........nyuk, nyuk, no time soon....have a nice day....were adding another shopping channel in a week or so". So the other ten people in the country could probably see the debate but I thought I was completely screwed.

Lo and behold, I decided to poke around on the MSNBC website which NEVER offers live feeds. There was no place that said "Live Feed, Click here, Dumbass!" So, I pounded around in there by Braille, clicked on some kind of headline and (apologies to John Madden) "BOOM" there was the most beautiful live feed I have ever gotten on line. I could literally watch Brian Williams' hair turn gray as the program went on. Thank you, MSNBC. Great Job!

With credit to my friend, The Inside Dope, Wink Martindale won Fichigan. I wonder who all those Michigan militia types voted for. I thought the camo-crawler vote might go for Huckabee. Maybe the weather was too bad for these tough patriots to get out and vote.

Oh, yeah. Crazy Uncle was right, they're not comin' back. Second best line of the election cycle, by McCain....the canary thing. Very well, done.

IF YOU HAVE A REALLY GOOD PORK CHOP...YOU CAN NOW REPEAT THE EXPERIENCE

click here

Remember, It only works for Goats, Swine and Cattle.

Cloned sheep are still baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......d

QUINCY SPORTS RADIO

Nothing says excitement and high sponsorship demand like 'Tape-delayed Radio Hockey"

WAKE UP DEMOCRATS!: THERE ARE NO PRINCES IN GENERAL ELECTIONS

For whatever reason--and the reason really doesn't matter--there are those within the democrat party who have taken the position that any criticism of Senator Obama's view of history or his claim of anti-war purism is illegitimate and the offending critic is to be ostracized. To his credit, the Senator himself has not taken that view.

Those who say it's anti-unity, bad manners or even racist to challenge Mr. Obama's worldview. are sewing the seeds of not only their own destruction but perhaps all of ours. First, our party has most frequently been the party of open discourse, the party that simultaneously had room for George Wallace and George McGovern. To turn any one of our candidates into a sacred cow gives that away. Second, it deprives the democratic electorate of anything but a student council election where smiles and signs decide the outcome. Finally, and most importantly, it utterly ignores the fact that any questions that might be brought up in this primary are going to asked with the volume turned up. Does anybody here really think the Rovies will care whether they alienate Jim Clyburn or Al Sharpton?

There is going to be a "big boy", intellectually and personally challenging election sometime in '08. The democrats can have it now or they can let the Repubs drive it later. We can either cripple ourselves with petty arguments to the effect that pointing out the devotion of LBJ to racial and financial equity somehow lessens the martyrdom and service of Dr. King, or we can actually have a discussion about whether the Senator's war position is what he said it is. We can either impute sinister meanings to what Mr. B. Johnson says or we can discuss the words he actually said.

There will be no Princes or Princesses in the general election. Let's not have any in our selection process either.

If that doesn't work for you and there has to be special rules for how we deal with any given Prince, then circulate a memo in advance so we know all the rules of what we can and cannot say about the Chosen One.

BIG UGLIES ARE WHERE YOU FIND THEM

OK, so San Diego has got to go into Indy and play.

When you think of San Diego football, you think of graceful, pretty people doing graceful, pretty things. You don't think about Ron Mix. You think about Lance Alworth and Kellen Winslow, maybe LaDanian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates.

Yesterday, grace and beauty left the building. What San Diego's offensive Big Uglies did was hit Indy right in the mouth for four quarters. This enabled a bunch of refugees from NFL/Europe to win a game they had no business winning while the pretty, graceful people watched from the MASH Unit.

Hope the Bears were watching

NEW RULE! WHO KNEW?

New Rule of Democratic Primaries, primary code section 316.948(b) (The new amendment, just out, is in red.)

"Any person affiliated with a candidate for President of United States may, without penalty or sanction, point out where an opposing candidate has behaved, spoken or voted in a manner inconsistent with that candidate's stated policy or belief; Provided, however, when the opposing candidate is a princely Senator from Illinois, no affiliated person, including former Presidents of the United States, shall point out errors, inconsistencies, or fallacies offered by that opposing candidate and, further provided, that everything the opposing candidate says must be taken as true and worshipful at all times."

"Sanctions: failure to adhere to the foregoing worshipful posture shall result in penalties including, without limitation to: Having your statements unfairly abridged by Tim Russert, sharing a confined space with Al Sharpton, being accused of racism by several people who have no idea what the affiliated person actually said and having to smell Wolf Blitzer's breath at close quarters."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Mrs. Lootie-Tookie

JANUARY 11, BRIGHT AND DARK WITH THE VOLUME TURNED UP

Today is the anniversary of the birth of two of the most special people on the planet. One is young and blond, full of kindness and curiosity, born in Iowa. The other is not quite so young, a bit darker with just an attractive tad of gray mixed in, also full of kindness and curiosity, combined with the strength of Fort Knox, born in India. Every time This day is observed, I am profoundly thankful to share my time on earth with these special folks. You know who you are.

Today is also the anniversary of the day, the world as we knew it cruelly dispatched a little boy who deserved a hell of a lot better. Maybe it's kind of silly, but every year at this time, I stop by his little grave and catch up with him on the last year. I still talk to him as if he's a little boy. He'd be 31 this year.

The strange part to digest is that the two dear people who have birthdays on this day had to share the horror day with me 27 years ago. Everlastingly, January 11, brings me the best of love and friendship and the most piercing reminder of the potential for human depravity.

The good news is the love and friendship lets you get past the depravity.

NICKY PETERS

Thinkin' about you big time today. GodSpeed, Bro'

THERE GOES THE VAST......

Windsurfer vote!

KING KARL'S TAKE ON NEW HAMPSHIRE

The Basin does not vouch for the correctness of this but it is an interesting view

click here

THE SAME SCRIPT, HOWEVER ELEGANT, IS THE SAME SCRIPT

I remember a presidential candidate who laid claim to uniting the people of the US, who ran against Washington and told us how he was going to change the "old" ways in Washington. He was not as gifted a speaker as the current iteration and I doubt that his heart was not nearly as pure. To be fair, he, even then, appeared not to be very bright and, thus, subject to manipulation. The newest iteration does share one thing with the this former candidate, an obvious sense of entitlement, a claim to "prince" status.

Anyway, the first Washington Outsider invaded two sovereign countries, sponsored torture and outsourcing CIA prisons, even declaring American Citizens arrested on US Soil "Enemy Combatants." He even brought us an Attorney General who thought the Geneva Convention was "quaint".

This Last Washington outsider shares one thing with another Washington Outsider, Ronald Reagan, in establishing record deficits.

So, you folks who have already identified the Next Bobby Kennedy, will just have to excuse me if I am underwhelmed by the claim of Washington "outsiderness". If I want to hire someone to drive a high performance car, I'd just as soon he or she has driven one before.

This is not to say I don't like the New Guy. That's not the point. The "outsider" argument has always fallen flat with me when it comes to being the guy with the football.

DELEGATE HARD COUNT

Gave you percentages yesterday:

Here's the hard count

Clinton --183

Obama 78

Edwards 52


This, of course, how we select a nominee.

WELL, WASN'T THAT SPECIAL?

I guess Mrs. Clinton might be in the race just a day or two longer.

Night, O.

THE DANGER OF SMART-ASS OPPO PLANTED QUESTIONS

Bill's Clinton's Take on Sen. Obama's purity claim regarding Iraq invasion (Now removed from the Senator's Website)

click here

PHONE CANVAS NEW HAMPSHIRE: THREE HOURS OUT

God, I could never be a telemarketer. The robot dials 'em and you read the script. Assembly line communications with people who have take 100 phone calls in the last week.

The responses are amusing (and I totally get that these people have been poked and prodded). Points for creativity go to the lady who said "I'm on a long distance call" (Yeah, with a pizza). "Not interested" is a special favorite. The Hungarian Judge assigned very low degree of style points to just hanging up. Repubs, try to tie you up talking so you can't make more calls. They are real interesting to talk to (Mostly they like Mitt). My favorite call was to a youthful voice. "What does she think about schools?" I answered. "How about Health Insurance?" I answered. "She's Chelsea's mother, isn't she?" I answered. "How do you know her?" (I'd introduced myself as a friend). I explained. Now, this is not the way an automated call is supposed to going. Both sides have an interest in getting the hell off the phone. But, she was interested. So finally she says, "Well, I'm only 8 years old and my Mommy's already voted." If every 8 year old in the country was that interested, we'd have a better country in a very few years.

The way the deal is set up, I don't know where in N.H. I'm calling but from my few hours of calls, I'd say that John Edwards and Mitt Romney are going to do better than the sweeps polls showed them doing.

Great experience. Ongoing civics lesson.

QUINCY CONNECTION TO THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY

If you have watched CSPAN's coverage of all the commercials running on WMUR and you look very closely, you will see one of the candidates talking to a red haired guy from Quincy, Illinois. It's a good picture of a two good guys at a coffee shop, but you can't tell the background. It was not shot this year and it was NOT shot in New Hampshire.

Still, pretty famous stuff.

MINOR REALITY CHECK

Of the available/acquired delegates (which is, after all, how we pick nominees):

Clinton 56%

Obama 22 %

Edwards 16%

Romney 44%

Huckabee 34%

Thompson 10%

NORTH CAROLINA HOLD 'EM: EDWARDS IS "ALL IN"

It is now obvious that Edwards had decided his best hope is to either knock HRC out of the race or mortally wound her in NH.

His Chief Campaign Jock is a tough and practical guy and I'm sure this decision was not difficult for them. Edwards is running as "Obsessed Change Agent". Obama is Running as "MLK Change Agent Nice". All of this has sort of left HRC with the role of "Grownup Gradualist". Edwards believes that his smidge of experience in the Senate and National Politics gets him more than half of HRC's supporters in the event she drops out. He also knows that he doesn't have and can't get the money to cover all the bases on Feb. 5.

Oversimplified, the decision to try to knock HRC out NOW is based on two things: an abiding confidence by Edwards in his own ability to persuade people in upcoming states he'd bring about more and faster change than Obama and the simple, arithmetic fact that he can't financially compete with two well-funded people on February 5 in multiple states around the Country.

Maybe it would have been more fruitful to gang up on Obama but Edwards correctly judged that Obama has come off as too affable to attack without repercussion.

Heck, what does it cost Edwards to push all his chips in the middle and try and get back into the tournament in one hand? Just the cabinet post he wasn't going to get anyhow.

Of course, he could execute the strategy perfectly and it might fail anyhow. That really doesn't mean it was the wrong one. He has to win this hand, now, or he can't continue in this high-stakes poker tourney.

Of course, there is always some risk to annoying a former President with moneyed ties all around the world. Don't think that's a problem for Edwards. This is probably his last run unless it bears fruit.

DICK CHAPIN TOUCHED MANY LIVES

We said goodbye to Coach today. Almost all of us from the old "Y" program were there, at least those of us who are still alive.

The diversity of people there just reminded me that he has passed his kindness and tolerance on to many others who have passed it on again to others, and so forth.

What a nice way to, in a sense, be immortal.

Thanks, Coachie, for letting us all share some of the ride.

MARY MAPES, YOU CAN DO BETTER!

As any regular reader of The Basin knows, this blog has always stood with the current President on the Honorable nature of Guard and Reserve Service. That doesn't change.

Mary Mapes' Book "Truth and Duty" calls into question whether 1st Lt. Bush Honorably Fulfilled that obligation. Actually, to be fair, the book is about more than that, but that one topic is what attracted me to the book.

It's a good, challenging book. The half of the book that covers other stories is equally fascinating.

My beef is with the web page. I'm gonna let Mary up and suppose it was put up by the Publisher.

No links to Mary's interviews. No bulk email to ask Mary questions. No way to get her what might be helpful information.

The book is good. I would think any journalist or broadcast executive would want to read it. The book advertises the web site. The site is lame.

Proceed informed.

LET'S NOT CROWN HUCKABEE OR OBAMA JUST YET

The econ repubs are simply not going for Huckabee. They're just having a little trouble finding the right poison pill. Eventually they'll settle on everybody's favorite crazy uncle, McCain.

It is true Edwards now has $ problems but he's a dynamic campaigner and wants to be there if Obama steps on a banana peel. As for Hillary, it seems to me that WJC never won a primary until Georgia, yet rumor has is it he actually served two terms as Leader of the Free World.

The real good news last night was about 100,000 new peeps decided to be comfortable in a room full of democrats. Ya'll stick around, hear?

The sun doesn't shine on the same dog's tail every day.

$100/BARREL: JUST IN TIME FOR EDWARDS

Kind of made to order for the "anti-corporate power" candidate.

I'll bet his stump speech just got updated.

DECEMBER 29 REVISITED: HE DID IT AND HERE'S HOW

Despite all the good advice he got in here to the contrary, Mr. 4-year-affair spilled his guts today.

Here's how he managed it.

First he told everything to a physician friend. He enlisted the physician's aid. The Dr. called his wife and said "Judy, Mike's in my office and we have a fairly serious concern. Can you get here right away?" Of course, she came. At that point all the Doc did was say, "Mike and I have been talking and he feels you should know about his situation." She was, of course, terrified so she listened without interrupting.

He was quick but complete, he acknowledged the money and the sex, detailed how careful and willful he had been in his conniving. He went through the reasons he felt compelled to tell her and tied them to his religious conversion. He said he was certain she didn't know the woman but he would tell her as much or as little about her as she wanted to know. If she wanted him gone, he'd leave without a whimper. He told her he was already in counseling and he'd go to marriage counseling as much or as little as she wanted. He cried. She didn't.

She asked if he was finished. He added some begging for forgiveness and cried some more. Added nothing, really. Then it was her turn.

She said, very quietly, "I listened to you. Will you listened to me now?" Of course, he said "Yes."

She told him she was sure he had been sleeping around, although she never saw any evidence of it. The reason she was so sure is that she had lacked energy as a partner for the past several years. If he was having a sexual outlet somewhere else, she was glad it was with one partner and not risky situations. She said she had been seeking medical attention about the lack of energy and she does not blame him for being impatient with her (Not surprisingly, he had never noticed anything different about her--he was too busy planning his next love-in.) Now she's found out that the reason for her low energy is a tumor on her thyroid. She had put off telling him until after the holidays. She will have to go to a major teaching hospital for surgery soon. She couldn't make any decisions about their lives together until after she learned whether the thing was malignant or not.

She declared she was now going home. If he came home after work, she would take that as a sign he would be with her for the surgery, knowing she still had decisions to make. If he didn't come home, she would take that as a sign he couldn't live in limbo that long. She said she knew that wasn't really fair to him (ironic) but she couldn't know what she would feel or want until after the surgery.

He cried some more. She didn't really console him. Finally, she said "I'm leaving now."

He is still at work. He says he's going home. I hope he's man enough to go home and stay home.

As some of you hinted, I suspect he'll never completely get his arms around the fact that it's not always about him.

So it's too soon to evaluate his performance. For now, we can say he beat the spread but he has not won the game.

METRIC RESOLUTIONS: MEASURING SUCCESS

I'm not much of a believer in NY resolutions but I've made a few over the years.

It happened I was looking at some of them today. This happened not for any deep, philosophical reason but because I decided to clean out a drawer where most of them were stored. It was kind of amusing, but also instructive.

If I'm honest with myself the ones where I succeeded were a number: Saved X much money, Spent X days in San Diego, practiced putting X days, went to the gym X days, got my handicap to X number, donate X hours of charitable time, Took X hours of advanced college work, attended X number of days Continuing Legal Education. There was one other thing that tended to make me more successful on some than others. The ones that I did best at were out where I could see them often.

Thus in an exercise of gradualism, I made five modest resolutions, all measurable by a number and all in the front of my little, homemade planner where I see them virtually daily. As an added twist, I put them in popup mode on my internet calendar, too. I'm reminded of one of them a day, the first time I look at my calendar in its little webhost page.

We'll see how I come out in about a year.