Phil West has a great write-up on last night's debate. Funny stuff.

My take on things? It was all a little depressing, really.

With Kucinich, I'm at the point where I'm just hoping he sticks it out for the long haul and snags enough delegates to be a presence at the national convention. It says many sad and depressing things that someone like him doesn't have a shot to lead this country of ours. (In related news, I just found out that I may not be allowed to vote in NY's Democratic primary as some previously unknown deadline to change my party affiliation may have passed! Looking into that today but, if true, color me pissed!)

Sharpton is more and more obviously positioning himself as something of an agent provocateur and Dean is his primary target. He's going to come out of the primaries smelling like roses and mush-mouthed Jesse Jackson will finally be kicked to the curb.

Carol Mosley-Braun? I just can't take her seriously when her platform continues to revolve around the fact that she's a woman. Gee, really? I mean, I hadn't noticed! It's as bad as if Sharpton would say something like, "It's time to put some color up in that White House!" Not to mention she's been incredibly vague and disturbingly chipper in the debates I've seen so far. There's kind of a gee whiz, I'm so happy to be here vibe about her.

John Edwards? He's smarter than Dan Quayle, but way out of his league nonetheless. If by some miracle he gets the nod, I think he picks Mosley-Braun as his VP and Bush takes all 50 states.

Phil West pegs Wesley Clark as "Mean Dad." So true. I think all his Army buds airing his dirty laundry recently must have pissed him off because he was angrier than Dean last night. His penchant for not giving direct answers (especially on anything related to Gay & Lesbian issues) makes him a bit untrustworthy. Unless he screws up bad, though, he's the most likely pick for Vice-President. Imagine him and Cheney in a debate? Paramedics on standby!

Dean? Still can't stand him and he's inching up on Lieberman for the supporting role of "Smug Bastard." I think all the money he's raised - and the lemming-like state of his followers - has made him think his shit doesn't stink and he's not prepared for the kind of beating the frontrunner in a Presidential primary tends to receive. This ain't Vermont any more, bub. Start practicing that concession speech.

Kerry and Gephardt? Kerry's the more Presidential of the two but both of them make me cringe. For better or worse, they're the most experienced of the bunch and in crunch time, that could make all the difference. If Dean tanks sooner rather than later, they have the edge.

All in all, once you get past Kucinich, it's an uninspiring bunch and I wonder how much they'll have left in their tanks once they finish beating up on each other to take on little Dubya. People underestimated him last time and I'm afraid they're going to do it again. :-\