Andy's (Chris Pratt) alter ego Burt Macklin is back and ready to neutralize a threat to Leslie's campaign.

Even after the rousing speech to end “The Debate” that inspired legions of Leslie supporters (and this reviewer), she’s still two points down. As I alluded to in my review of “Live Ammo,” the stakes have been raised for a show whose main draw is how much fun will be had on a weekly basis. There’s a sense that even the slightest slip-up could make this house of cards collapse.

Leslie is easily the only person in the race who’s fit for the position, but despite our affection for her and all her dearest advisors and staff, I’m unsure she’ll win. It’s not a matter of faith or distrust, it’s a reflection of the superb storytelling. Sitcoms have used tension to ensnare viewers since the format burst on the scene, but by and large, things work out for the best. I cannot think of a comedy that deliberately disappointed me (well “The Office” is trying real hard) by teasing something and then yanking out the tablecloth. Obstacles do a fantastic job of stalling so we spend episode upon episode waiting for the inevitable, but “Parks” is threatening more than any other comedy to not only put a twist on our hopes and expectations, but to go the route of gritty dramas and go drastic.

In some ways I want her to fail. That sort of devastation and falling-short might have more to tell us then her triumph ever could. Ultimately, my fanboy devotion hinges in on how much I love to hang with these people who have been so carefully crafted that they feel like my friends. If Leslie’s shenanigans are still staged in the parks department as opposed to city hall, I suspect it wouldn’t change a thing. Except it would change everything for how she perceives her work and what matters. And that’s an exciting possibility. And yet, a part of me would be irrationally angry if she lost. This show has me by the throat and it won’t let go. Only as my last breath escapes, will I know what I absolutely want, but by then will be too late.

Luckily the last moments will be joyous. Even as LesBen seems to be outsmarted at every turn by Jenn Barkley, they weasel their way out with charm and genuine kindness that isn’t advisable in any political script. In this penultimate episode of season four, it’s the final day of the campaign and nothing screams last shot like a tour bus with your face plastered on the side. Leslie visualizes her victory, but she doesn’t have the votes yet so she must parade around town and repeat her precisely-timed stump speech and shoot off t-shirt cannons to sway any fence-sitters. At one location, her preparations are tossed aside when she’s asked to comment on Nick Newport Sr., Bobby’s father. She slams the former Sweetums CEO for exploiting the townspeople and calls him a jerk, only to be informed by the same reporter that she was asking for comment on Nick Newport’s death. Now baffled, she’s unable to spin her out-of-context bashing and Jenn Barkley demands Leslie suspend all her campaign events to pay respect to the Newport family.

Off on a separate mission are Tom, Donna and Ron who need to negotiate with Bill Butler of BBB Auto Rental about lowering the price point for a fleet of vans to chauffeur seniors on voting day. His sudden price hike is a result of the Newport campaign offering $10,000 to park them somewhere so that Leslie can’t use them. Considering they expected a $900 charge, the new mark seems unmanageable. Mike O’Malley plays Bill Butler with just the right balance of snark and sinister (and he’s sans ball cap!). Interesting tidbit, O’Malley was second in the running for the role of Ron Swanson, so to see them play off each other is delightful. I can’t imagine anyone but Nick Offerman since he owns the part, but O’Malley’s sarcastic, stubborn and simple-minded “swagger” fits the Pawnee universe like a glove.

Chris and Andy both have sidebars that offer up the yucks. Chris Traeger is so self-aware about the mechanics of his body and psyche that he knows he’ll spiral into an abyss if he doesn’t keep moving. Without the stimulation of exercise, or some task, he’ll dwell on his tough year in love. April—who appears to be an bounty of advice lately—tries to play down his depression since the girls he’s sulking over weren’t the prizes he perceives them to be. For once, April’s newfound perspective is to no avail and Chris bikes furiously beside the tour bus to avoid death.

Andy’s plot is the polar opposite on the epic spectrum. His persona, FBI agent Burt Macklin returns to solve the case of the projectile pie. While Leslie is leaving an event, a pie struck Jerry in the face (because, of course), but Andy/Burt believes it was intended for the prospective councilwoman. He works tirelessly to investigate, even reenacting the altercation with Jerry. Poor guy has to be smushed several times in the face in super slow-mo to assist Andy. After staring at his board (which just has a picture of Leslie and a string leading from that photo to a picture of a pie) for hours he reassesses the video footage and determines that Leslie was too far from where the pie landed to be the target. The real objective was Ben!

Leslie continues the campaign visits (even though Ann suggested it was the wrong move) and at a reading of her children’s book Groffle The Awful Waffle, kids and reporters alike hound her about “Jerkgate” and Leslie reconsiders. She requests her friends line up by how much she trusts them—Jerry takes a step back believing he isn’t far enough away and Ben and Ann eye each other competitively as they inch closer. She decides to set up a public apology with Bobby Newport so she can hit the trail afterwards. But it blows up in their faces when they enter the gates to the Newport mega-mansion to find a memorial service being conducted, and during their attempts to turn around they run over Nick Newport…the portrait. The games and maneuvering never cease for Barkley who is not afraid to manipulate others (and she “likes” Leslie) to win. The most impressive feat might be how much Leslie has matured in the political sphere. She’s tripped up by Barkley twice in this episode alone and her composure is unflappable. Yes, there’s an air of panic, but it’s not responded to nonsensically or without forethought, which was her often her folly  in the parks department. Now we see less of a spaz freakout and more of a fiery spill that she’s so adept at cleaning up because she channels her personal appeal: the assuring smile, the perseverance and integrity.

In private, Leslie apologizes to Bobby who’s virtually bowling. There’s the spectacular sight gag where the camera zooms out to show that he’s playing video game bowling next to his personal bowling alley—because his avatar, “the little guy” waves at him. As only she can, Leslie issues a sincere mea culpa and even consoles Bobby, who ran only to impress his dad, with a story about of her own parent where she ran track to impress her mom and despite coming in dead last she was proud anyway. Bobby then uses that story to memorialize his dad which confounds Leslie. Then he makes up for it though by quasi-endorsing Leslie, telling the press to back off because she’s super cool. It’s expected of Bobby to undermine his own success, but I saw this not as ignorance, but a gracious response to Leslie’s lack of mudslinging.

Since Ron Swanson’s sit-down was no good, Donna sits at the exit of BBB Auto Rental. As Mr. Butler tries to leave he’s blocked and bumps her car. Now, if you know the show, Donna’s Mercedes is her baby. She adores that automobile more than most people. Most people. Her devotion to Leslie Knope surpasses even that bond, and she makes the ultimate sacrifice. Donna reverses and stomps on the gas colliding with Butler’s front bumper, destroying her baby’s back. Tom and Ron claim to be eyewitnesses who saw Butler rear-end her. Instead of an insurance settlement she asks for compensation in vans. Donna’s character is the least serviced of the bunch, but when she’s allowed to stretch out it’s almost always memorable.

Chris and Burt Macklin’s threads wrap up in separately rewarding ways. Jennifer Barkley takes advantage of a still moping Chris and propositions him for sex in one of Newport’s many bedrooms not occupied by a dead body. He starts to reject her, but she suggests the campaign is over and that’s she very good and suddenly he’s game. He was in a fragile state and actress Kathryn Hahn is hot, so saddle up cowboy. Though with her penchant for scheming she could easily be playing him. The question is what could she extract or how could she spin this? Or could this be Barkley finally throwing her hands up, ready to be human again instead of an ice machine? I suspect it’s the former, simply because the formula suggests that a roadblock besides the voting populace will manifest itself in the finale.

Burt Macklin was easily the most purely silly aspect of the episode. He confronts Sewage Joe (a frequent creeper at city hall who was fired earlier in the seeing for sending penis pics to female coworkers) about his attempted pie-ing, and it’s every bit the welcome break in the tense (though still amusing and whimsical as hell) political proceedings. As Andy brags about how he caught Joe before he could strike again, Joe unleashes his whipped cream fury anyway, smushing Ben square in the face. The perpetrator walks off in cuffs though, so Burt Macklin FBI nabs another one—sorta.

It’s hard to match the elation felt at the end of “The Debate,” which felt like every line was loaded with laughs, ready to erupt upon deploy. “Bus Tour” was more low-key in a way. Despite the frantic tone as the tour bus swerved to avoid any harmful debris thrown in the road by Jenn, we’re left off closer to the election, but we haven’t shifted much in attitude. I’m not any more secure about Leslie’s chances even after Bobby’s naive compliments. Even the supporting players have been stuck for a time. April over the course of the season has grown by leaps and bounds, but for a few weeks now she’s been doling out sterling advice free of charge. Chris in a love rut, Tom and Ann are just as donezo as last week and Ben’s still so smitten it’s stupid (but cute, obviously).

It makes sense they’re in limbo since the past few months they’ve been militantly championing their girl, but it’s noticeable how much I miss getting to just mess around without the pending election results hanging over their heads. The writing’s still sharp and I’d choose Pawnee as a destination for entertainment over most hot spots, but the foreplay, while tantalizing, is just a tease. Mentally, it’s made me insatiable for the payoff, but I’m almost as revved up for the the morning after. The faults are few and far between, but therein might lie the problem. “Parks and Rec” has hit such a rhythm that you anticipate satisfaction. But I’m ready to be wowed, and maybe even disheartened.

L.O.L.Ls: Laugh Out Loud Lines

- Leslie imagining herself winning the election: “And I can see in the crowd, President Obama, smiling at me. He made it! I didn’t think he would come, but he made it! Hey buddy!”

- Burt Macklin’s codenames: His= Eagle 1; Ann=Been There Done That; April=Currently Doing That; Donna=It Happened Once in a Dream; Chris=If I Had to Pick a Dude; Ben=Eagle 2 (to which he says “Thank God!”)

- “Everybody says they care about the issues, but at the end of the day, all anyone really wants is clothing shot at them from a cannon.”

- “Anything else would be considered a classless move on par with spray-painting nipples on the Lincoln Memorial.”

- “The worst possible thing you could do is stop. Because if the campaign stops, we all stop, and stopping means certain death. Who wants a panini?”

- Donna: “Everyone will see your logo, which is…you all pressed up on some chick with huge cans.” Bill Butler: “Yeah, it was a hell of a day. People need to know about it.”

- “Quit ducking the waffle question, did Groffle use a boat of some kind?” “Are we to assume he swam across the syrup river?”

- Ben’s nerdy allusion to Star Wars: “It’s a trap!”

- “First of all, dark places are awesome.”

- “Now I get it, my dad and your mom are dicks!”

- Bill Butler: “What about you, Mr. A Man’s Word is Sacred?” Ron: “Well it is, but you’re an asshole.”

Sean Hayes guest stars as Buddy Wood, an Indianapolis talk show host itching to speak with Leslie about her campaign.

My man crush on Nick Offerman reached unhealthy levels after last night’s episode, because it was he who penned the script, his first of the series. Considering the commanding screen presence and comedic intuitiveness displayed in his portrayal of the manly, meat-loving libertarian, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but by and large his proficiency for character authenticity did not miss a beat, and may have even surpassed that of his peers as he was able to allot equal yucks to each his beloved cast members.

We drop in on Leslie as she’s picking out an outfit  for an interview with Indianapolis’ number one talk show host, Buddy Wood. The last five city council candidates to appear on his program have won their respective elections and after the events of last week, where she was out-dueled by Kathryn Hahn, she could use the boost in good pub. But in a strange turn, Leslie is the one wanting to kick back, trying on horrendous attire like leather pants that say “Nympho” across the butt (Tom says it’s a “maybe”) and Ben is wound-up tighter than…well, those nympho pants. Almost immediately after his departure, Ben calls to say the interview has been cancelled. Following this news, a surprisingly stable Tom and Ann (who have been together for thirty-eight hours straight, only nine hours share of their personal best) encourage Leslie to loosen up. Leslie’s gun-ho and suggests they go out drinking to capitalize on her pre-interview adrenaline. As a fan, I was immediately giddy because I knew this meant more drunken misadventures, which have never disappointed (see: Snake Juice).

Andy studies for his Women’s Studies final at the community college with the help of Ron and April. Initially terrified of the oral exam, he wants to fake sick, but Ron insists that’s not how grownups deal with tough situations. So he grits his teeth and buckles down, regurgitating feminist theory with an almost robotic efficiency, which may be due to the Cheetos (or treats) he receives with every right answer. I adored watching Andy speak with alacrity about Laura Mulvey and her paper on the male gaze in cinema. It was a paper I read last semester in my gender studies course, and it established an immediate connection to the script, and was impressed by Offerman’s aptitude in incorporating this complex theory for comedic effect. Andy’s thorough review of the material pays off, considering how over prepared he ended up being for a Pass/Fail exam. To celebrate he invites his professor, Linda, to join him, Ron and April for dinner, adding another silly feminist joke about how he’ll “let her pay for her own food, because of equality.”

The tertiary plot is an inert one, but a laugh riot. Jerry is stuffing envelopes for Leslie at a shocking pace, and Donna simply stares in amazement, canceling a date just so she can watch Jerry in his element. To see him perform even a menial task with this level of competency is quite baffling, but the combined absurdity is what keeps it fresh each time we return to it. When this thread is clipped by Jerry realizing he’d been inserting the wrong flyer the whole time, it renews our love/contempt for Jerry, who even when he’s rolling, is prone to messing up. And his eagerness to repeat the process just fascinates and delights all the more.

Leslie’s inevitable drunkenness from fiery tequila shots is a short-lived thrill for her as Ben calls to alert her that Buddy Wood’s flight is delayed, so he will have time to squeeze in an interview. This induces a panic in Leslie, but as she’s proven time and time again, she is cool as a cucumber under pressure. Her clutch, flu-ridden performance in a speech to potential donors for the Harvest Festival was the stuff of legend. Leslie pulling out the “W” here, was a given. Except Buddy Wood wasn’t interested in highlighting an ambitious candidate. He’s out for the dirt. Like most of P&R’s satire, they nailed this particular lampooning of the instigative media, who often tries to stir up negative emotions in their subjects, hoping for scandal. Wood badgers her about the decrepit conditions of the municipal airport, insults the townspeople by calling them sad, and won’t back down when he introduces Ben and their prior scandal of an affair at work. Leslie furrows her brow and insists upon a topic change, but her pride in Pawnee overcomes her will to appear sober, and she blurts out that she’s had a couple drinks. Like a kid at Christmas, Wood is jittery about the journalistic gold he’s just discovered.

At the restaurant, April notices that Chris is at the bar alone (reading “Limb-itless,”  a story of a women who tried to swim across an ocean with no arms or legs and immediately drowned) and invites him to join, acting as matchmaker again. I’m starting to really become enthralled with the consistent progress April makes each week toward concerted efforts to help in ways she isn’t obligated to. I assume the pattern will reveal its hidden agenda at/near season’s end, but for now it’s lovely just to see her relishing in the cognitive dissonance of being dispassionate, but compelled to take care of her friends.

Presumably, Chris and Linda hit it off. He is well-versed in feminist thought, and she shares his enthusiasm for physical health. Ron simply sits back as spectator with his three Porterhouse steaks. When Chris makes his move and asks Linda on a date, she declines saying she just got out of a tough relationship. Chris, with his sunny disposition is undeterred, believing that they can reconnect at another time. After all, he is the microchip. But alas, when Ron suggests that he still has room left for after-dinner omelets at J.J’s, Linda whispers that he should go to her place instead. And the paradoxical legend that is Ron Swanson continues. Though it isn’t a simple sitcom switcheroo. With how strong women have shaped Ron’s life, he just may be the most vehement, if not silent feminist. And there’s just no denying the sex appeal that comes with that man’s affinity for chowing down on cow.

Ron comes in to work the next day, his usual post-sex Bizarro Ron, offering up donuts and wearing power red like Tiger Woods on Sundays. But Andy reminds his mentor that as a grownup he must deal with tough situations (then Andy eventually remembers aloud that Ron was the wise man who told him that). So he approaches Chris and apologizes for his carnal instincts and Chris excepts, but not without a throwaway remark of how lonely he is. I’ve enjoyed Chris’ vulnerability, but must admit that my pity for him might where thin, seeing as he hasn’t done much to help himself (and oddly un-Chris behavior).

In a frenzied attempt to steal back the tape and prevent a catastrophic blow to Leslie’s election hopes, Tom conjures up the hot tub limo and they motor over to Indianapolis. In a manner apropos of this week’s title, Wood’s bags were lost and the tape with it, and any proof of Leslie’s on-air inebriation is in the ether. Of course, the perceived luck isn’t so at all. Karma is enacted by the Pawnee Municipal Airport employees, who in response to Buddy’s petty jabs at their livelihoods, decided to accidentally dispense of Wood’s belongings in the dumpster. It’s a fitting tribute to Leslie, and to the sprit of Pawnee. Nothing Wood said was inaccurate. Pawnee is out of date, and frankly a depressing place to live for anyone looking to launch into the 21st century. But Pawneeans are loyal people. They may be misguided, fat, and perhaps even corrupt, but they stand by their own. And it is because Leslie is the sharpest and most capable representation of their best selves that they will likely vote her councilwoman.

The precedent set last week of immovable walls, held up this week. Campaigning is a tedious process, one not often rife with giggles, but grim reality. And if not for the dedication to the quirks of the players involved, the series could have come to a grinding halt. But by sticking to the old adage of “show don’t tell” we have been able to witness the unravelings and the improbable regenerations of Leslie’s dreams materializing time and time again. We know her like a sister, a fellow compatriot, a champion of what is just, and when she’s entrapped by Buddy Wood, we’re horrifed with her. They’ve constructed a gripping political thriller around the funnest, brightest souls in the fictional Midwest and damn if it doesn’t bring a smile to our faces to see her come out the other side unscathed.

Tom and Ann haven’t fizzled out yet, but they used the volatility of their relationship to noble comedic ends by illustrating Tom as a ticking time bomb. He can be fun to be around and charming for a good streak of time, but then he buys you four dozen flavored condoms and you remember why you despise him. As Tom’s tendency for self-fulfilling prophecy goes, my tolerance for this plot goes. But with a 4-week hiatus* before us, I suppose I will have the time to learn to appreciate it.

An all-around amusing episode of “Parks” is hard to stay mad at though. Reservations about the “direction” of certain character arcs aside, it was a merry occasion. I fist pumped at Ron’s power red, I beamed at Andy’s attempts at comprehending psychoanalytic approaches to feminism, and I was awestricken by Jerry’s mechanical zeal for office work. I can’t imagine a more charismatic and dynamic candidate for the most lovable comedy on TV. For providing yet another injection of the warm and fuzzies, while maintaining biting commentary and sophomoric wit, I’ll overlook any evidence of imperfections as “Parks” earns my vote for a second straight week with its recipe of good ole, homegrown fun, with hints of sweetness and zest. A.

*Let’s have a moment of silence to mourn. “Parks and Recreation” will not return until April 19th. God help us all as try to find solace in these troubling times.

L.O.L.Ls: Laugh Out Loud Lines

- “If there’s one thing I know it’s…my fantastic…it’s talk.”

- “You know who the president of the Boring Club is?” “Me?” “Nope, you lost the election because your speech was too boring.”

- “He’s like a strict mother I’m confusingly attracted to—Ben is like a MILF.”

- “If they got together, they would make a Superbaby. But what if Superbaby got too powerful?”

- “I’ve never had a boyfriend threaten to commit arson for me before!” “Eh, it gets old.”

- “Here, you kids go buy yourself a Walkman. How much does a Walkman go for these days?”

- “I’m quite lonely.” “Aw f**k.”

- “Don’t punish me, I took a risk!”

Barney Frank, one of the first openly-gay politicians and one of Massachusetts’ most well-known politicians, announced he would not seek re-election.

Frank, who has usually coasted to re-election, has come under fire as chair of the House Banking Committee given the current state of the economy.

Massachusetts Republicans were quick to comment on his decision not to run again:

“It is clear that Congressman Frank was not looking forward to another hard fought campaign after losing his gerrymandered district and spending nearly every penny he had in 2010,” said Massachusetts Republican Party Executive Director Nate Little in a statement. “Republicans were already gearing up for a strong race and Frank’s sudden retirement injects added optimism and excitement into the election.”

Frank has been in office since 1981.

DUBLIN — Scroll back to 2004.

Little Ireland was in its pomp. Delirious on the heady fumes of an emerging property boom, the focus was squarely on party politics and our portly economy. The Fianna Fáil star was its brightest, wowing the world with flash statistics about growth and unemployment. The frenzy to clamber aboard the gravy train was so great that our political servants didn’t even notice that the Irish presidency was up for grabs.

But don’t they know it now?

Yes, now that the money has dried up and Dáil Éireann has become the political equivalent of an Irish famine workhouse, the stately grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin are starting to looking a whole lot more appealing. Hard luck on the Áras though. It did well enough under Mary McAleese — a barrister and professor from Belfast who had a long-standing interest in the presidency and a respectable moral agenda for the duration of its term.

McAleese has done a lot to help engineer peace in Northern Ireland and her role in Queen Elizabeth II’s recent historic visit will be considered one of the finest achievements in the story Irish political and diplomatic affairs. She’s a tough act to follow when you look at it like that and the changing list of likely candidates is far from inspiring. It’s a drab arrangement of spent political journeymen and the battle for nomination has been, at times, so desperate and controversial that the seat of the presidency has already been cheapened by it.

Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell, a man with all personality and charm of wet cardboard, decided to grace Irish public life again after skipping off to Europe in 2004 to do what? We’re not really sure. Right now it looks to be a two-horse race between Mitchell and Labour’s wispy-haired poet, Michael D. Higgins. It’s not the most exciting shortlist.

The nation seems to be in a state of utter deflation after a ruthless character assassination that saw popular senator David Norris shunted away from the ballot paper. Norris, a human rights veteran, was a sure bet for the Áras and his probable election wouldn’t have hurt our reputation for being a socially progressive country any more than Mary Robinson’s election did back in1990. Alas for Norris, it would appear that to be a gay politician in Ireland is to be a de facto pedophile. Never mind his sparkling record in the senate, his enthusiasm and conviction for a system that many have lost faith in, and his honest criticisms of the neutered function of the Seanad (senate).

No. This man is gay. We must dig deeper. There is surely some speck of dirt, some error in judgement, that we can sink his ship with.

Gay Mitchell described abortion as a ‘holocaust’ and bemoaned the reality of Irish women “sneaking off” to have abortions in the UK. He wrote a letter of clemency for convicted murderer and anti-abortionist Rev. Paul Hill, who is on death row in the US. But David Norris’ plea for leniency for a former partner who’d had consensual sex with a Palestinian minor (statutory rape) was a most grievous offense and for many of his antagonists, this 14-year-old piece of paper was all the proof they needed that he was some kind of sexual predator. It’s a bit of a flimsy argument in a country that, over the years, has become a veritable petri dish for colonies of shady politicians and robed pedophiles.

The wheels came off Norris’ campaign and he was forced to step down eventually. Since then, the election race has descended into anarchy and farce. Instead of looking for people who have the credentials to do the job, various ‘personalities’ have been put forward. Fianna Fáil, pushing hard to restore its blackened reputation after 15 years of economic misconduct, saw in the avuncular broadcaster Gay Byrne—now 77—a handy route back onto the political ladder. Byrne was almost physically inserted into Phoenix Park by politicians and media alike before he eventually took himself out of the equation.

The celebrity vacuum was quickly filled by recently retired sports commentator and former schoolteacher Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh who, at the time of writing this, was still mulling it over. Michael Sheen—yes, that’s President Bartlett from The West Wing—recently said “thanks but no”. So who’s next? Daniel Day-Lewis? Pierce Brosnan? Is it too soon to ask Saoirse Ronan? Brenda Gleeson gave a speech of presidential quality at College Green some months back. Maybe he should do it? While we’re at it, why don’t we just rename it Celebrity President 2011 and let people vote by phone or text via a 1550 number?

To be President of Ireland is to be the face of the country. The most obvious mission for the next President must be to repair the damage done to our reputation by years of fiscal stupidity, but the scramble for Áras an Uachtaráin is beginning to have a negative effect.

Seven years ago, this public office was overlooked—even belittled—by the country’s salivating politicos and McAleese walked through to her second term uncontested.

But desperate times call for desperate measures and things sure are desperate now. With any luck, the mostly inoffensive Michael D. will take it and the Irish public can just cast this embarrassing circus out of the national psyche and move on.

Parliamentary elections in Afghanistan will go ahead tomorrow, marred by allegations of fraud and tampering against election candidates, and, most recently, by the kidnapping of a candidate and 18 election workers by Taliban members.

Earlier this week printers in Peshawar claimed they were told by Afghan election candidates to produce and laminate fake voter cards for the election. The Afghan Electoral Complaints Commission expressed concern and said the issue should be dealt with, but has yet to take any action.

Former presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah told reporters at a press conference that the appropriate measures to combat fraud are not being taken.

Meanwhile, workers were frantically transporting materials around the country earlier today in an effort to prepare for the election tomorrow. Fear in the streets is not as widespread as it was during the 2009 presidential election, though the Taliban has again threatened to attack.

The group has already been blamed for the kidnapping of 19 people, including one election candidate.

About 450,000 policemen and soldiers will guard polling stations, armed, in an effort to dissuade Taliban members from attacking.

Despite allegations of fraud and kidnappings by the Taliban, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the country has the “structure” for a “successful election”, according to Agence-France Presse.

If your country went through an outrageously corrupt election that was exposed by an “impartial” governing body, you’d think as president you’d have the balls to sack the chief of your electoral commission, especially after agreeing to a run-off election with your main opponent.

Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai apparently has no balls. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah called on Karzai to fire the head of the election commission for his inability to ensure a fair democratic election in August’s vote. Karzai rejected the call by Abdullah, obviously, because they are rivals.

But why did it even have to be demanded? Ideally, the man would have been sacked just after the U.N.-backed panel discovered and exposed widespread electoral fraud and ballot box stuffing. The whole Independent Election Commission in Afghanistan should see a major overhaul, but Karzai claims doing this just before a run-off would upset the order of things.

“The changes would not be helpful to the elections and the country,” he said, BBC reports.

Abdullah claims the IEC is full of rampant Karzai supporters. While that may be true, so is the rest of the world. Obama, Sarkozy, Brown, Kerry and even Ban ki-Moon have praised Karzai for accepting a run-off election. For doing basically what is required of a democratic president. That praise is not really necessary and just reinforces the fact that Karzai is a western-backed leader of a nation whose own people consistently questioning his governing ability.

Both leaders have also denounced the possibility of a joint government. I saw that reported as a possibility in some places and I couldn’t believe some saw it as a viable option.

The run-off is set to take place on November 7. I think we can predict the outcome.

Check back tomorrow for the second episode of Blast’s new podcast Your World in Focus, narrated by me. Also, take a listen to the first if you missed it. It’s about this very election.

State officials, high school students and advocates for new voting laws in Massachusetts urged the state Election Laws Committee to consider a bill that would change the landscape of voter registration for teenagers under the age of 18, yesterday at the State House.

As part of the Massachusetts Freedom to Vote Act, the proposed measure would allow a 16 1/2-year-old to pre-register to vote when they apply for a driving permit at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, so that when they turn 18, their registration will automatically kick in.

“This is an easy, no cost, common sense bill” said State Rep. Ellen Story (D-Amherst), at a press conference before the hearing this week.

Story, who is lead sponsor for the bill, said she has had this proposal on her desk for a couple of years, and believes this is the right time to get it passed.

“The legislature is looking for things to do between now and Nov. 18, when we recess, that are good government bills and that don’t cost money” Story said after her testimony to the Committee. “This doesn’t cost anything.”

Story said a person under the age of 18 should have the opportunity to pre-register, because young people at that age are starting to form their own opinions, and she said voting at a young age would lead to a lifetime of responsible voters.

“Voting is addictive” said Story, who said the bill did not make it far last year but has heard no opposition from anyone. “If you start voting, you will never stop.”

In a study by Common Cause, the government watchdog found that only 50 percent of 18-year-olds are registered to vote in the US, and in the 2008 elections only 59 percent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 were registered to vote.

The bill has already been implemented in 10 states around the country, including Connecticut and Maine.

The new bill would not change the voting age to 16, since 18 is the legal age to vote as stated in the US Constitution, but the bill might make it easier for 18-year-olds to vote.

“I’m a junior, and if I could just register to vote now it would make things that much easier because things are going to be hectic with college,” said said Donovan Birch, a junior at Boston Preparatory Charter Public School, who testified to the committee. “The first half of my year will be applying to college, then getting ready for it, then I have to fulfill all my requirement for my senior year.”

Birch, a member of Young Civic Leaders, a program sponsored by MassVote, a voters’ rights organization, designed to build leaders in the community, said this new bill would make it easier because senior year of high school can be a very busy time.

“Even though I’ll be 18, registering to vote isn’t going to be the first thing on my mind.”

Rep. Michael J. Moran, chair of the Election Laws Committee, was impressed by Birch’s testimony.

“We need more kids like you getting active” said Moran, who jokingly told the group of 10 to 15 high school students that he tried to get them a half-day of school. “I know it can be very boring, but very important stuff goes on in here, and I appreciate you all coming.”

Avi Green, executive director of MassVote, said it was important for the high school students to voice their opinion to the Committee.

“It’s critical” said Green, who, along with MassVote, sponsored the press conference before the hearing. “Everyone’s always saying “ËœThis is good for high school students or that is good for high school students or this is good for youth’ but I think youth can speak for themselves.

“I think Donovan was just as impressive as the adults that I heard, and I really hope that bill passes.”

Green is also an advocate for the other major proposed bills in The Mass Freedom to Vote Act. Including, Election Day registration, which would allow voters to register on the day of elections providing they have proof of residence and ID, and early voting, which would give voters a week in advance to vote in case they were not available on Election Day.

No vote was made on the bill, and Green said he hoped the Committee to act sooner rather than later.

As ballots are counted in Afghanistan, reports have surfaced, despite the media blackout, that at least 27 people, including nine civilians, have been killed across the country in a slew of attacks on voting day, according to Global Post.

Despite the killings, voter turnout only grew as the day went on, and officials extended voting time by one hour to accommodate the crowd.

Hamid Karzai, the front-runner of the 30 presidential candidates, praised the courage of the Afghan people. “The Afghan people defied rockets, bombs and intimidation and came out to vote, that is great” he said.

He also added that 73 attacks were conducted in 15 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. Security forces, according to Afghan officials, stopped five suicide attacks.

Scared to vote

In the morning, all over the country, polling stations stood empty. “Maybe everyone is drinking tea, or sleeping” said Abdul Mubir, manager of a polling centre in Kabul, Global Post reports.

By the afternoon it seems people emerged from their shells. Officials say more citizens began filing in around lunchtime and lines began to form outside official polling stations. By the end, turnout was apparently so strong that voting time had to be extended by one hour. In contrast, Al Jazeera reports that during the last hour of voting, a station being monitored in the capital by correspondent James Bays saw only one voter go in and out.

Despite the fairly small voting population (in comparison to larger countries) the results are not expected for several days. The deadline for the release of preliminary results is Sept. 3.

Exit polls give no indication of which candidate leads, mostly because voters are reluctant to reveal their choices so candidly. Opinions polls however suggest the possibility of a runoff election between Karzai and his main opposition Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.

Fraud

Many are already predicting fraud and fixing. Several voters, who mostly chose to remain unnamed, told reporters they have no faith in the electoral process in their country, a country heavily affected by U.S. presence and the Taliban insurgency.

Many analysts predict a win for the incumbent Karzai. His endorsements from former presidential candidates and the advances he’s made in his campaign in the past weeks have all but ensured victory.

However because Karzai needs 50 per cent of the vote for an outright victory, it is likely he will face a runoff election against Abdullah in the near future.

A few weeks ago it seemed like Afghanistan’s main candidates for president, the incumbent Hamid Karzai and his former foreign minister Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, were locked in a dead heat, running side by side toward that coveted post; to govern a country rocked by economic troubles and war.

But now, just two days before the election, Karzai has emerged as the unquestioned front-runner and will seemingly sprint back into his governing chair, a seat in which he will remain for another five years.

On Monday 10,000 supporters rallied at Ghazi stadium in Kabul, wearing blue caps, waving blue flags, holding signs depicting the Abdullah’s smiling visage. But despite the doctor’s prominence and reputation, despite his reformist ideals and want for change, he will lose.

As much as his campaign’s support parallels that of Iran’s Mir Hossein Mousavi, unlike Mousavi, this candidate has no chance of winning (neither did Mousavi, if you think about it).

Karzai will be back.

Polling day violence

What the people must worry about now, besides being ruled by Karzai for another five years, is what will happen on August 20^th. Violence at the polling stations is almost a certainty, especially now that the Taliban has vowed to disrupt the voting process.

“The election is propaganda from America and its allies,” said the Taliban in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.

On Tuesday, Kabul was hit by a blast that killed seven. It is highly likely that Thursday will see much of the same type of blasts scattered across the highly vulnerable country.

Voter turnout is already expected to be low, according to a local Afghan man interviewed by Al Jazeera. He told the interviewer that he was afraid to go out and vote because of what the Taliban had promised. He knows what they are capable of, he said.

We all know.

Peaceful election

Unfortunately, even from the beginning, these elections looked bleak. None of the candidates offer any real solutions to any of the country’s most dire issues. Also, the Afghanistan itself is not stable enough to hold a proper democratic election for two reasons: because the country is so often bombed by the Taliban that setting up secure, safe polling stations is not a reality, and because the parties involved have a history of engaging in bribery and intimidation tactics to gain desirable results.

According to several news outlets, entire villages have been threatened with violence if their population refuses to vote for a certain candidate.

Of course, internationally we are all hoping for at least one peaceful, democratic election to be completed in the Mid-East in the near future.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the one we should look to to satisfy that want.

The protests of the young and old in Tehran have been more than inspiring. But real political reform isn’t taking place on the streets of Iran,‚ it’s taking place behind the scenes.

A power struggle between Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Assembly of Experts, which, theoretically, has the power to remove the Ayatollah from power. That’s the key.

If any reform to Iran’s current Islamic Republic is to happen, it would have to take place with the help of both religious and political leaders.

This past week, religious leaders from the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum called the current government illegitimate. This declaration may signal the beginning a domino effect.

Perhaps other religious leaders with even more political power, such as those on the Assembly of Experts or the Expediency Council, may be inspired to voice their opinions regarding Ahmadinejad’s “victory” and what role Ayatollah Khamenei played in ensuring it.

The Association’s move is highly rebellious. It’s a group of religious clerics opposing election results verified by the Supreme Leader. It’s real opposition.

In 1979, when the people of Iran rebelled and organized a revolution to overthrow the Shah and his monarchy and install the current Islamic Republic under, at that time, Ayatollah Khomeini, this is not what they had in mind. This life full of oppression was not their ideal.

Soon after the revolution, all western media influence was banned. The freedom of the people was severely hampered, and women especially felt the Ayatollah’s strong arm of oppression come crashing down from his pedestal.

According to Jian Ghomeshi, a prominent Iranian-Canadian broadcaster with the CBC, people have been unhappy with their government since that revolution. Though they were victorious in overthrowing the Shah, they failed to secure the freedoms they so sorely desired.

So it was back to square one, and now 30 years later, a revolution is brewing again. But this time, more work needs to be done behind the scenes. The people will fight, but religious leaders and Hashemi Rafsanjani need to challenge the legitimacy of this government before it gets out of hand.

Watch the short AlJazeera English documentary, “Mousavi and the Masses” below to learn more about Mousavi’s past as Prime Minister during the early years of the Islamic Republic and how his political ideologies have seemingly changed so much since the 1980s.

Click on the link below to see President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dance around answering Christiane Amanpour’s question regarding the safety of his opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi. There are conflicting reports on whether Mousavi is under house arrest.

In the video, Ahmadinejad compares the rioting to misplaced passion by fans of the losing team after a soccer match. Degrading.

Ahmadinejad presser video on CNN

The protests went deep into the night. Journalists and citizens were arrested and beaten, police cars and bikes were set on fire, windows were broken – it was complete chaos, not seen since the 1979 Iran Revolution.

Protesting is not something Iranians normally do, so it’s a good sign of the people fighting for what they believe is rightfully theirs – a democratically-elected and coherent government that will represent the people in the way they want to be represented.

For up-to-the-minute updates on what’s happening in Iran, follow @LilyMazahery, a human rights activist and lawyer getting updates from friends in Iran, @tehranelection, a student living in Tehran, and @Change_for_Iran, a man named Farhad, who is, according to his tweets, taking part in the riots.

Seriously, follow these people. The two Iranians are really risking a lot by updating the world on what’s happening inside their country, since Twitter, Facebook and other sites were banned for a long time yesterday.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won Iran’s June 12 election with a whopping 62.6 per cent of the vote. His main opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi called the result a “charade” and has demanded a re-run.

“I personally strongly protest the many obvious violations and I’m warning I will not surrender to this dangerous charade,” said Mousavi, according to Reuters.

The possibility of a re-run is very slim so Iranians, unfortunately, must come to terms with the reality of four more years under Ahmadinejad, a man whom many have called a “dictator.”

But the people just wont have it. To many of Mousavi’s supporters 62.6 per cent is suspiciously high. After all, before the election the two candidates were apparently locked in a head-to-head battle.

Mousavi’s supporters and supporters of free vote and democracy have taken to the streets in anger. Yelling “down with the dictator” and “freedom freedom freedom” they are vocally expressing their extreme distaste at the prospect of four more years under the tyrannical Ahmadinejad.

The protest has turned violent now, with many angry voters breaking windows, breaking into shops and setting fire to various objects across the crowded city. Police isn’t responding well, they’re using tear gas and batons in an attempt to discourage and stop protesting, which is, despite these attempts, still going strong. Reports of deaths are now coming in.

Click here to see photos of street violence in Iran.

Many of the protesters are urbanites who voted for Mousavi or Karoubi and feel betrayed by their government. A government who they say, perhaps frightened by the prospect of losing power, rigged the election to guarantee victory.

Mousavi said it. The citizens have said it. It’s popular belief among westerners, too.

If the election results are correct, Ahmadinejad apparently won handily in Mousavi’s heartland. That’s hard to believe.

What it means for society

Speculating about a possible election rigging won’t solve the problem however, because Ahmadinejad is now president and is unlikely to relinquish power or allow any sort of re-run. He’s never been one to give into public demands, and this isn’t an exception.

So what does Ahmadinejad’s election mean for Iran? Well, any hope for peaceful social reform is now defunct. The state-owned media will continue to dominate, private and liberal media companies will still be outlawed, and the government will still own the communications system.

The young will continue to be oppressed; freedom of expression will not become a real right for citizens.

Unemployment will stay around 30 per cent, yea, 30 per cent. No joke. Inflation will remain in double digits and the economic problems of the nation will go ignored, just as they have been for a while now.

For the U.S.? This term will serve to increase tensions between the two nations, largely at odds because of Ahmadinejad’s thirst for advancing his country’s nuclear program and his hate for Israel.

Mousavi has the same view on Iran’s nuclear program and Israel, though he claims he wants to advance the program for peaceful purposes.

No one really believes that, though the moderate reformist did say he wanted to increase positive relations between his country and the U.S. and middle-east. However, while he was prime minister in the 1980s, many horrible human rights violations did take place.

Still, he would have been easier to deal with, and most likely better for Iran. But that dream is dead. And for Iran, it’s worse. Their people will continue to be oppressed, humiliated on an international stage and controlled by their government.

Obama wins!‚  This is history!

Various media outlets are projected an Obama victory with 297 electoral college votes and the certainty of more to come!

As a nation, the U.S. will be brought closer by this victory.‚  It’s truly unbelievable, an African-American president with the majority of votes in the U.S.

You offer hope to a generation who had no place to find it before you came along.‚  Thank you.

Congratulations to President Barack Obama from all of us at Blast Magazine.‚  We knew you’d do it!

A win in Ohio has been projected for Obama by NBC.

This is HUGE.‚  Obama is the most epic battleground state in the U.S. and win a here, along with his win in Pennsylvania puts Obama very VERY close to the White House.

According to CBS and Fox News, West Virginia and Arkansas are going McCain’s way.‚  Alabama and Georgia have also been called for McCain by Fox News.

No surprise, McCain headed into tonight with a seven point lead in Arkansas and an 11 point lead in West Virginia.‚  He also had an over 20 point lead in Alabama before today, a very red state.

McCain went into tonight with a five point lead in Georgia so that’s a good win for him.

Adding all these in, the numbers sit at 103-69 for Obama.

Pennsylvania and New Hampshire have been called for Sen. Barack Obama, by NBC News and other media outlets.

Losing Pennsylvania is a huge negative for the McCain camp, he hoped to carry that state.‚  He has spent a lot of time there recently and his advisors said he’d made a lot of ground.

He really needed it to balance out losing the smaller states.

Blue east coast states have also been called, Maryland, Illinois and Delaware among them.‚  McCain carries Tennessee, Oklahoma and South Carolina, no big surprises.

Check out our state-by-state results in the Terra blog and in the election section for real-time updates.

New England’s lone republican congressman may be in a heap of trouble tonight.

Chris Shays, 63, a veteran Fairfield County Republican is facing down the younger James Himes, 42, a feisty Democrat who may ride the Democratic tidal wave to Washington tonight.

The early buzz coming out of Connecticut is that Shays has the fight of his life on his hands.

Shays served in the Connecticut House from 1974 to 1987. He was elected to the U.S. House in an August 1987 special election.

Himes was born in Peru and arrived in the US at age 10. He’s a Harvard graduate and a Rhodes Scholar. He is a former vice president of Goldman Sachs and now vice president of Enterprise Foundation, a non-profit community affordable housing organization.

Barack Obama will win tonight with at least 53 percent of the popular vote, making him the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976 to win a majority.

Here are all of the polls released yesterday, the last day that the major polling firms collected data. Obama’s aggragate average is approaching 52%, but I believe these polls under report the youth vote because of they generally don’t call cell phones, and we will probably see a disproportionate amount of the African-American vote judging by the early vote counts in many states.

We will have to look out for the Bradley Effect, which may or may not be a myth. Even if it’s true, I have a feeling it might be off se by the Reverse Bradley Effect. Paraphrasing Bill Maher, the Reverse Bradley Effect theorizes the pseudo racists are telling their buddies down at the Moose Lodge they’re voting for McCain, but when they get in the voting booth they might start thinking, “Hmm, well my kids teeth are falling out… and Obama is the only one that will give me health care. Maybe I will vote for the black guy.”

As far as the electoral college, Obama should get 338+ electoral votes, putting him well over the 270 needed to win. He will almost definitely flip Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, and Iowa from Red States to Blue, and I think he squeak out Ohio, Florida and North Carolina, as well. Missouri and Indiana will be tough but if either fall for Obama, it will be over by 9 o’clock.

If McCain has any chance, he absolutely needs Pennsylvania. The east coast bellweather state is one of the first to close their polls, so if it is called early for Obama, it will be a good indicater of how the night could turn out. If Obama’s lead is 8 to 10 points and its over shortly after the polls close, then there will be no need to sweat. Barack Obama will be the President Elect. If we are still wondering who won Pennsylvania after a few hours, it might be a long night.

Check out CNN’s interactive map and make you’re own predictions.

The time has come!‚  After almost two years of campaigning and gaffe, Americans finally get to choose the next President of the United States.

Two of the most notable campaigns in history come to an end and one of the most historic elections begins.

Will Obama’s seven-point lead in the polls hold up?‚  Will McCain make an historic comeback?

Make sure to check in with Blast’s election coverage tomorrow night in our new News section.‚  It’ll be full of analysis and commentary you won’t find anywhere else!‚  We’ll also be updating as states are called throughout the night.

So go out and vote America!‚  Do your part!‚  Make history!

Just a day before the election, Sen. Barack Obama’s grandmother, a woman whom he says taught him “accountability and self-reliance,” has died of cancer.

Madelyn Dunham, 86, has been severely ill since recently breaking her hip, according to the CBC.

As the Illinois senator says, “Toot” (his affectionate version of the word “Tutu” which means grandparent in Hawaiian) was the “rock” of his family growing up.‚  She worked long hours with little rest to make sure Obama earned a world-class education and reached his potential. “She poured everything she had into me” he said in his speech at the Democratic National Convention this August.

Obama learned of her death early this morning while campaigning in Jacksonville.

“She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength and humility,” said Obama in a joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng.

The presidential candidate also told media he plans to continue campaigning, according to CBC.

In October, Obama took a break from his campaign to visit his ailing “Toot” in Hawaii.‚  He told media he didn’t want to make the same mistake he did with his mother, to whom he didn’t get the opportunity to say goodbye before she died of ovarian cancer in 1995.

Below is an open letter to the national media from Ralph Nader.

Dear Members of the 4th Estate:

Having spoken to numerous reporters and some editors with the national media (as distinguished from the local media) about the blackout or near blackout of the Nader/Gonzalez presidential campaign, striving to challenge the two party, exclusionary duopoly, (debates, ballot obstacles, etc.) I must ask a general question:

What journalistic criteria have you been employing in this presidential year that guides your pronounced non-coverage of the number three campaign that advances majoritarian agendas based on long experience, involvement, and accomplishment. These agendas are either opposed or ignored by McCain and Obama (see www.votenader.org) and are often rooted in the very investigative reports by your reporters?

It is puzzling how editors and publishers who oversee these prize winning stories seem to lose interest in covering Americans who are trying to do something with that information for a better country.

We asked one top editor of a major daily why his paper was not covering us at all and he said, “Because you can’t win.” Besides being a catch-22 that he quickly acknowledged, that is not a supportable newsworthy judgment. News Media have covered many stories outside the electoral arena of people “who can’t win” and such coverage extends to both the import of the struggles and the reasons why “winning is not possible” given the stacked deck against them.

There has been a witting or unwitting political bigotry against third parties and independent candidates, as there was years ago against minority voters. Against the status of such candidates obstructed through ballot access laws by the two parties that dislike competition they present other rigged ways to secure their domination over the electoral landscape, including gerrymandering each other in the majority of Congressional Districts, for example.

This is meant to be a short letter. Journalism scholars, reporters, and other post-election writers of books and articles will be chronicle, no doubt, the quantity and quality of media coverage (see the previous analysis by such scholars as Stephen Farnsworth and S. Robert Lichter).

For now, please verify for yourselves your own non-coverage or coverage and inform us what your journalistic criteria standards or policies led you to this definition of your readers, listeners, and viewers rights to know.

Thank you for responding, even though there is obviously no obligation to do so.

Sincerely,

Ralph Nader

Funnyman Will Ferrell returned to Saturday Night Live during the intro of one of SNL’s special Thursday updates.

We stood beside Tina Fey’s Gov. Sarah Palin, making it the only time the two most highly-rated SNL parodies of all time appeared together. SNL regular Darrell Hammond’s reluctant John McCain later appeared in skit, where Farrell’s GW endorses McCain/Palin.

SNL has generated some of its highest ratings of all time during the 2008 presidential election.

There was also a hilarious Fred Armisen impersonation of CNN’s John King and his super-touchscreen-computerized-election-map

A CNN poll shows 47 percent of Americans are afraid Sen. John McCain, if elected, wouldn’t complete his first term as president in good health.

Nearly 30 of the 47 percent are “very concerned” about McCain’s health and his ability to complete a four-year term as president of the United States, one of the most stressful jobs in the world.

McCain released an extensively long health record earlier this year to try and stymie these types of fears.‚  His physician also released a statement concluding that there is no reason “that would preclude McCain from fulfilling all the duties and obligations.”

There are some doubts about Sen. Barack Obama’s health, too.‚  Obama, a former smoker, has eight percent of those polled “very concerned” and 11 percent “somewhat concerned.”‚  Obama released a one-page medical record showing he is in excellent health.

But wait, McCain has more to worry about.‚  Twenty-seven percent of those polled said age would be one of several key factors when they cast their ballots in November.

McCain has had three bouts with skin cancer.‚  He, like Obama, was a smoker but he quit in 1980.

Obama quit smoking when he started his presidential campaign last year but has admitted he’s smoked a few times since then.

McCain’s health is obviously a concern; he’s 72 and could soon have one of the most trying jobs in the world.

The fears are understandable but this poll is surprising.‚  I for one didn’t think 30 percent of those polled would be “very concerned” about his health.‚  I’m not.

Former Massachusetts Governor, Republican Mitt Romney will suspend his campaign, effectively ending his run for president.

“I must now stand aside, for our party and our country,” Romney said during a speech in Washington Thursday.

The move means Senator John McCain has all but won the nomination.

Romney suffered a string of embarrassing third place defeats in the South, where he was banking on conservative votes on Super Tuesday. Instead, it was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who won nearly all the southern races. Huckabee still trails Romney in the delegate counts, but McCain has a commanding lead over both.

“This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters … many of you right here in this room … have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President,” Romney said. “If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America.”

McCain leads with 707 delegates, to 294 for Romney and 195 for Huckabee. It takes 1,191 to win the nomination at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn in the summer.

“I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating al-Qaida and terror,” Romney said.

Romney has been attacked from the start for flip-flopping on a number of key conservative issues.

Going into Super Tuesday, the closest thing we have to a national primary, Romney labeled McCain as a liberal and claimed he was the clear conservative choice in the Republican Party. He was aided by conservative pundits like Rush Limbaugh, who said he would vote for Hillary Clinton if McCain was the Republican nominee.

The world waits with baited breath to see if he follows through. But a serious question remains as to whether or not McCain can rally the whole party to his cause.

Video courtesy/The Boston Globe

WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain, in a tight race, has won the all-or-nothing Republican primary in Florida.

Over the past few weeks, since his victories in both South Carolina and in New Hampshire, McCain has begun to emerge as something of a steamroller. Depending on how he fares on February 5, in what is as close to a national primary as possible, he could likely secure the nomination in a few weeks.

McCain won all 57 of Florida’s delegates after winning 35 percent of the vote. In Florida, McCain received the endorsements of wildly popular Republican Governor Charlie Crist, and Republican Senator Mel Martinez.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney came in second place with 31% of the vote. Romney, despite his second place finishes (with wins in Michigan, Nevada and Wyoming), has enough money to ensure that this campaign carries on and will not likely concede the nomination anytime before the last primary in June.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani finished a disappointing third after throwing all of his resources of the past month into the Florida primary.

Sources say Giuliani will drop out of the race tomorrow at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California and endorse McCain. Despite tensions among the other candidates, the two have always been respectful of one another.

Only Senator Hillary Clinton campaigned in the delegateless Florida primary. She claimed victory at a rally on Tuesday night. The Democratic party stripped Florida of its delegates for holding an early primary.

The nation now turns to February 5, where over 20 states will hold their primaries.

Stick with Blast and our Politics with a Touch of Class blog!

Mitt Romney has won the Michigan Republican Primary.

Stick with our Politics With a Touch of Class blog for details!

From our Washington reporter:

Rumors have it that if Romney doesn’t do well tonight, this could make or break his campaign – the man has millions so I don’t understand but coming out of Iowa and NH with a couple second place wins and a "gold medal" from Wyoming, his support seems to be waning [...]

Since his arrival on the national scene in the 2004 senate race, Barack Obama has inspired thousands across the nation with his riveting speeches that has been compared to that of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy.

It is not surprising that people refer to him as the Obama-rama because of the glow that he projects when speaking to crowds. It’s this inspiration and passion that moves us and inspires us to hope for something better for America — to move us forward to a more diplomatic foreign policy; to a better health care system; to a presidency that brings change that we can believe in.

Over the past eight years, we have suffered from an administration that lacks sympathy for the little guy, that forgets about the middle class and that leaves students and the sick to fend for themselves.

American’s have suffered for too long in a world where banks are foreclosing on homes at an astonishing rate, putting students in an economy with a growing unemployment rate while carrying thousands of dollars of debt and leaving the terminally ill to fight the health care crisis on their own. We have suffered from a president who does not listen to the American people when they say they demand a change in foreign policy.

Barack Obama would bring needed change in the Democratic Party. He would listen to the American people.

His policies exude change and responsible change at that — getting America out of Iraq in a responsible way, ensuring health care to all Americans and bringing tax cuts back to the middle class. He has seen disparity; he has seen Americans shut out by the government.

Barack Obama has what it takes to bring change to this nation. Change desperately needed after eight years with broken domestic and foreign policies. It his inspiration and passion that moves us and inspires us to hope for something better for America. To move us forward to a more diplomatic foreign policy, to bring better health care to American’s and a policy that brings change that we can believe in.

BLAST MAGAZINE endorses Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

News editors/bloggers: Contact us if you wish to use any of the photos in this story.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — A large crowd formed at 8 a.m. Friday outside of the Pan Am Hanger here in Portsmouth, where Barack Obama was scheduled to appear.

Obama read through his speech to the unstoppable cheers of the crowds in front of him. “The American people began down the road to change,” he said. Entrance polls in Iowa showed that 51 percent of voters seeking “change” caucused for Obama Thursday.

People were there to show support, yes, but also to meet the man.

There were also others that were less certain still wanting to learn what he stood for and if they should back him on his run for the White House.

“I got here at 8:30 … I’m still trying to decide who to vote for,” said “Angelynne,” who was standing on line to greet the senator. She said that she was enjoying the attention the candidates were giving New Hampshire voters. “People in other states have to pay money to see these people, we get begged!”

With a debate scheduled for Saturday, many of the candidates are showing up in New Hampshire to prepare and use the opportunity to get voter support. Even the cold did not deter people from filling the Hanger. The temperature hung in there at four degrees.

Obama started out talking about where he came from and how that influenced who he is. He said that he didn’t always live in Chicago, but he wanted to work at the grass roots level.

“There were a group of churches who had come together to try deal with the devastation of steel plants being closed, and for three and a half years I worked as an organizer, with them to bring job training to the unemployed, economic development to communities that had been torn apart,” he said. “It was the best education I ever had … One of the things that I learned was ordinary people can do extraordinary things when given a chance.”

He said many times throughout the speech how he was trying to bring all of America together. “We are one nation; we are one people; the time for change has come.”

He talked about the different people that came to the caucus where he stood shaking hands — the high school seniors, unsure of how a caucus works; the Democrats; the Independents that believe in him; and even the Republicans, who broke party lines to caucus for the Democrat. He said that he was trying to make “a new working majority, go out and remake America, and then change the World.”

He believes in “Hope over Fear,” “Unity over division,” — that he will be the president that “Will be willing to disagree with you, without being disagreeable.”

“I won’t tell you what you want to hear, I will tell you what you need to hear.” He said he will be the president that doesn’t owe his election to big businesses and special interests.

Hope was an ever-present theme. He acknowledged that the other politicians are criticizing his experience, calling him a “Hope Monger.” They want him to be “Seasoned and Stewed.” They want to "boil all the hope out of me," he said. “Hopes that I saw in the eyes of the people walking into the caucus.”

What does Obama believe hope is? “Hope is that belief that we can work for and fight for that which was denied to us.”

He ended his speech talking about old fashion politics and shook hands with everyone in the crowd that he could.

WASHINGTON — In recent conversations, many of my Democratic friends have begun camping out for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Now, I must say, being in Washington for the past year and half has somewhat, how do you put it, numbed me to politics. Presidential campaigns began rallying their troops nearly two years before the 2008 Election Day with a few candidates throwing their hats in the ring before the end of November 2006.

But among Democrats, I’m finding conversations about the candidates to be the same. People are voting for their candidates for hopeful reasons. Hillary supporters by and large are looking to her to lead us forward based on her experience. Or maybe there’s a hint of nostalgia, having gone astray the past eight years from the good old years with Bill. Hopeful Hillary supporters are hoping that she can bring us back to the good times but forward from the havoc that the “evil Republicans hath wrought on America” over the past couple of years.

People who oppose Senator Clinton cite her lack of passion — her voice, which is often seen as being harsh and cold. Senator Clinton has been criticized vastly for coming off as too harsh however, if she were to show a softer feminine side, would this change the views of people who may have held critiques of her since 1992?

While Obama may not have the advantage of being in the West Wing previously, he does have one thing to give his supporters — hope. For many people, Democrats and Republicans alike, he creates an excitement when he brings a Kennedy-esque youthfulness to the stage, much like he did after his victory in Iowa on Thursday night.

However, even those he manages to rouse excitement in are skeptical about his lack of experience on the Federal level which is something he will have to overcome when being compared to Hillary Clinton.

What is really going to differentiate the winner from the loser in this race to the top of the Democratic ticket is really going to be how the voters value experience over passion. Voters this year seem to agree that we need a candidate who will take us forward but it’s going to be a fight to determine who will be the better candidate to take us there.

We’ve seen more blondes in today’s malls as a result of today’s hottest teeny bopper starlets. Some girls are even going as far as getting their prom dresses made to match those they see at MTV’s VMA’s. Today’s hottest celebrities influence the American culture in the everyday things we do. They influence our choices in fashion, what music we download to our Ipod, what books and magazines we buy — just about everything.

Recently, Oprah Winfrey laid out the red carpet for Democratic Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama. The event was expected to raise $3 million for Obama’s campaign. With guest appearances by Will Smith, Stevie Wonder and Halle Berry, along with Oprah’s announcement that this presidential candidate was her "favorite guy," one would think Obama’s audience increased.

But a survey conducted b y E-Poll Market Research may prove otherwise. The celebrity and brand research firm polled 2,237 voting age Americans. Of those, only 16 percent say a celebrity would influence their vote in the 2008 Presidential Election. In fact, 10 percent of participants said that a celebrity influence would have a negative impact on their vote.

E-Poll asked which celebrities — if any — would be the most influential in deciding which candidate to vote for. The top celebrities did include Oprah Winfrey along with George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Survey results show that democrats could be more swayed by celebrity endorsements than republicans. Although Obama is among the top three democratic presidential candidates, Hilary Clinton is still on top, and her campaign has not included any celebrity endorsements to date.

If candidates are looking for a boost, they should not turn to Rosie O’Donnell, Tom Cruise or Madonna. E-Poll’s survey suggests they would have the least influence and the most negative effects.

Candidates looking to gain votes from those who are still undecided for the 2008 election should not look to celebrities for help. Independents are the least likely to be swayed and only 13 percent say it would be a positive influence.

Overall, the survey results show that celebrity endorsements basically have no effect on young voters’ decisions.
Perhaps Oprah should have saved the red carpet gala until her next birthday.

So far, the media presentation of the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton candidacies has been one of opposites—the fresh newcomer versus the Washington elite; progressivism versus Democratic Leadership Council centrism; grassroots campaigning versus the biggest war chest in the game. But looking at the two Democratic frontrunners now shows how money, power and political clout have the ability to erase all such distinctions, making both candidates more similar and less interesting.

The opposites myth would have been much more valid long before the campaign, before Obama was a member of the U.S. Senate, a place where principled people and fearless progressives are not easy to come by. The Senator’s October 2002 speech at an anti-war rally in Chicago, having showcased a passionate condemnation of the march to war in Iraq, shows an Obama willing to take a politically unpopular position, confronting not only power but the consensus.

In the speech, neoconservative war architects Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz are "armchair, weekend warriors" and Karl Rove is a "political hack." Saudi Arabia and Egypt are our "so-called allies" who commit human rights violations. These are strong words, and one can’t help but be disappointed when remembering that this is the same guy who weaseled uncomfortably out of a simple question that arose after controversial comments by Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace: is homosexuality immoral? We had to hear it later through Obama’s spokesperson that he disagreed with Pace’s remark that it was. It appeared that the climate of Washington had claimed yet another progressive victim.

Eight days after Barack Obama delivered his anti-war speech in Chicago, Senator Hillary Clinton gave a speech of her own—on the floor of the U.S. Senate, explaining her vote in favor of the war authorization. In the speech, she says, "I come to this decision from the perspective of a Senator from New York who has seen all too closely the consequences of last year’s terrible attacks on our nation. In balancing the risks of action versus inaction, I think New Yorkers who have gone through the fires of hell may be more attuned to the risk of not acting. I know that I am."

Just as Obama’s speech is a reminder in our vapid and endless election season of how he once acted on principle, Clinton’s speech is a reminder that it was not only the Bush administration that evoked September 11th in their support of a wholly unrelated war in Iraq that acted on instinct—as Obama says, a war of "passion"—rather than facts.

The distrust– and indeed loathing–by the left of Hillary Clinton goes beyond her war vote and subsequent refusal to apologize for it. She also voted twice to authorize the Patriot Act and co-sponsored legislation that would make flag-burning a crime, an unconstitutional law according to Justice Scalia.

Given just the above, it’s quite clear as to who is the better pick for president in 2008. But a lot has changed since 2002.

Now, the former antiwar community organizer and Illinois State Senator is a presidential candidate who supports a slow withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, but not the cutting of funding for the war, which is the only way to really end it.

Hillary Clinton is a former unabashed hawk who has since grown critical of the Bush administration’s handling of the conflict, and supports a troop withdrawal but not fund slashing—the same stance as Barack.

On other issues, neither candidate is willing to say what both most likely believe—that to deny gay Americans the right to marry is discriminatory religious pandering. Both Senators support "universal and affordable health insurance," but neither supports the means to get us there: a single-payer system. Both think that we must deal with Iran diplomatically, but neither are leaving out any options.

Both of their websites are written in the language of campaign management: that banal, humorless, and odd code that sees "strengthening families" and "supporting parents" as key "issues." It’s the language that says a lot but means nothing, and in a political campaign you can always identify the candidates with the littlest chance of winning by how little they take refuge in its blandly safe vernacular.

So this, then, is what voters are left with: two mainstream Democrats bent on talking points but short on specifics, in favor of reform but not revolution, critical of the establishment only to a point.

The last scene of George Orwell’s Animal Farm famously described pigs dining with men and the rest of the animals unable anymore to tell the difference between the two. Looking at Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton now is a little like being outside that window, trying to remember which one is the establishment candidate and which is the outsider.