A nod to Huckabee: he realized that he would be wasting millions of Americans’ donation dollars, and for what? He doesn’t stand enough of a chance to survive a primary, and will only suck votes away from someone who could.

Also, Trump is out. Apparently, some aide worked up the courage to tell him what a President does, and that he is responsible for the American people. We jest: he never had a real belief he could be elected, and was largely a distraction in likely cahoots with the Democrats to end the birth certificate fiasco and make the President look better. Doubt it? Well, which party is better at being the Bill Veeck of politics?

So far we have only two real possibilities for the GOP presidential candidacy: Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

Mitt is proudly announcing that he raised $10 million in funds in a single day, when he only expected $2 million! Wow, huh? Actually, he expected to raise well over $10 million, but put out a press statement saying the opposite because it makes him sound like the dynamic, popular powerhouse salvation that he is absolutely not. Mr. Romney must know by now that his opponent will eviscerate him on RomneyCare with the easiest lawyer trick in the world: simply ask “If government healthcare is so bad, Governor, why did you roll out a substantially similar approach in your own state?” See? The President never has to admit the federal plan is a disaster, or point out that it doesn’t work: he merely has to beat the hypocrisy drum. Any counterattack Mitt Romney uses will come back in the exact same form: “If it’s so bad, why did you do basically the same thing?” or “If RomneyCare is so good, why do you oppose the federal plan?” He’s completely trapped: and for Romney to continue thinking he has a way out—a way out none of us has seen a glimpse of, by the way—indicates he is either foolish or stubbornly proud. Neither is a particularly desirable attribute in a candidate right now. Mitt Romney could probably beat Barack Obama in an election, but he will be damaged goods out of the gate.

Speaking of which, there is Newt Gingrich. Newt apparently has not been told that the 1990s are over, and that voters absolutely detest government spending. Regardless of his personal baggage (seriously bad, though considerably less than the average Democratic politician), he indicated to voters everywhere that he is oblivious to the current political landscape. You know that we are speaking only about his defamation of Paul Ryan’s proposed Path to Prosperity—making horrifyingly out-of-touch comments about its effect on Medicare…comments that demonstrated that Gingrich (a) thinks that the GOP will be doomed again by entitlement reforms, which hasn’t been the case for 20 years, and (b) he hasn’t read the plan at all, since the Ryan plan merely sets up an eventual taskforce committee to reform Medicare without touching the existing or pending participants. Simple as that. And just as simply, Newt indicates that he just got here, has been out for a while, but somebody will catch him up on whatever the issues are. No surprise that a heckler shouted that Newt was embarrassing himself.

Things are very simple for the GOP: read the news. Whatever the President is saying or is planning to do, stick with the complete opposite. You will get 60% of the voters right there. Neither Romney nor Gingrich seem to understand that they represent a GOP the country frankly doesn’t think much of, anymore.

So who is left? Mitch Daniels and Tim Pawlenty are still in the possible category. Jon Huntsman and Michele Bachmann are outliers, but really need to start building name recognition fast. All four of these candidates lack the disastrous backgrounds and missteps the others have, but need to start convincing people they have charisma. Pawlenty (what a nice guy) and Bachmann (wow, she’s smart!) score much higher in the charisma department than Daniels (a high school principal) and Huntsman (was he an ambassador or governor?), but Daniels and Huntsman have powerful executive experience and considerable influence in the GOP, not just the Tea Party.

The important element here is that things are starting to happen. It will be a fun next few months to watch; the good news is that despite a clear candidate that appeals to everyone, the GOP is avoiding a lot of in-fighting (Gingrich notwithstanding) and has a golden turkey in Obama to take on. It will be a fun ride.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.