Obama leads in delegate count!  Wait, no he does not!  Since no one can tell the best we can assume is that this is near a dead heat.

Tough questions and lots of them.

Democrats

-- What if Obama wins the overall nationwide vote count?  And still loses?  I have asked many a Democrat that question and, not shockingly, gotten a rash of silly answers.  Because Obama's people will scream if that's the case and what are true Dems to do?  Say "well, sorry that's the rule"?  (Actually it is the rule and it would be the correct call but those Dems are in a really bad "Al Gore election" box on that aren't they.)

-- How is it, that nearly a week after the voting is over the state of New Mexico still can't figure out who won. Clinton still leads there by 1,000 or so but with 17,000 votes still out.  New Mexico officials are having real trouble figuring out what among those 17,000 votes count.  Memo to New Mexico -- try voter ID, it might help.

-- Bill Clinton talking that he has waited all his life to vote for a woman or someone black for President.  He needs to qualify his remarks by saying clearly "All my life I have waited to vote for the most qualified candidate to lead this nation and if that person were female or a minority then all the better."   Sadly that's not what he said.  While it is laudable to break through old barriers, and this year one will be broken, to intone that breaking those barriers is the goal (which Clinton did in his comments) is ridiculous.

-- Serious racial fractures are popping up in the Democratic race.  The racial-power split between blacks and Hispanics is the most concerning.  "Let's face it," said popular Spanish-language radio host Luis Jimenez, "Hispanics will vote for a woman president before voting for someone who is African-American."   Jimenez is not alone on this judging by the fact that Obama is now winning every category on the planet and still getting clobbered in the Hispanic vote.

-- Obama won a Grammy on Sunday (Best spoken word for his reading of his book).  If Winehouse could run for Veep...  it would "crack" another barrier.

Republicans

-- How do you define the word "panic"?  Well let's just say one way might be this.  Shutting down a caucus with 87% reporting in a near dead heat and crowning the current slim leader the winner.

-- McCain should be screaming out loud for Washington to finish what it started and declare a true winner even if it's not him.   McCain's silence is speaking for his character now and he had better hear that.

-- Another definition of "panic".   To have the Govenor of Texas issue a news statement asking a candidate to quit the race.  Rick Perry's advisors ought to be fired.... if the goal was to get Huck out of the way this statement might just have done the opposite and thrown the state to Huckabee.

-- Good job by McCain's camp to rig West Virginia for Huckabee now huh.

-- If, by some "Huckabee Miracle" the GOP race does get interesting... would Romney consider letting his delegates go? If he did this would be close.  Hmmmmm.   Huck wins a major state or two before the convention - do the simple math and add Romney's near 300 to his total... and, well.

-- Democrats rooting for a Huckabee miracle might want to consider that first.  While the betting odds are that Huckabee cannot win the general election - waking up the GOP is not a good idea.  McCain hasn't just divided the GOP he has put it to sleep.

One final note.  Considering the confusion, the backroom dealings, the sense that manipulation is taking place - I would hope the two major parties strongly consider dumping the "Caucus" concept and going to primaries in every state.  Odds are the Democrats will now fight to get rid of proportional delegates in favor of winner take all in some states.  That will be a separate floor fight.  But at least that's out in the open as opposed to the shady dealings of the caucus states.