Politics and other nightmares

Didn't I just write recently that I agreed with the person who said "just go ahead and shoot me" if the presidential race ended up being between Huckabee and Edwards? I don't think we're there yet, despite Huckabee's convincing win in Iowa and Edwards' narrow dispatch of Clinton to third place. I listened to a bunch of pundits on a number of networks and cable channels, and they were all trying to sound expert when the truth is that the situation is in such flux that nobody should be in the predictin' bidness these days.

Because it is constitutionally significant, and not coincidentally because it coincides with the longest presidential campaign in modern history, Indiana's voter-ID law is getting a lot of national attention as it is considered by the Surpreme Court. Here, James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal responds to an anti-ID column by a former Democratic congressman and makes a sly point I haven't seen anywhere else:

Granted, a lottery is a disgraceful scam perpetuated on citizens by the state, at least we can hope that the Indiana lottery is run better than the other ones. Well, too bad. The state ranks 40th (out of 43) for fairness and disclosure in connection with its lottery. Ours is criticized for, among other things, taxing lottery winnings and giving people only 60 days to claim prizes after the close of scratch-off games.

An alarming environmental story that doesn't seem so alarming when you read it through the second time:

Southern Indiana's rolling hills are greener now than they were a century ago, but the region's rate of reforestation may be on the verge of being outpaced by suburban sprawl's deforestation, according to a new report by Indiana University Bloomington and University of Minnesota researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Relax, my fearful fellow children of America, Mommy will be president and take care of us:

The New York senator also highlighted a chapter in her book, "It Takes a Village," that talks about every child needing a champion. She said most children have someone in that role and she'd like to fulfill it for the whole country.

Another reason I don't like Mitt Romney:

According to the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey, in 2007 about half of high school seniors had used an illegal drug. More than seven of 10 seniors had consumed alcohol, and 55% had been drunk. In fact, 44% drank alcohol in the past month. These figures rise and fall over the years: In 1980, the spring of Mr. Obama's 18th year, two-thirds of seniors had used an illicit drug and more than 70% had consumed alcohol in the past month.

Today's quiz: What is wrong with this advice from Gov. Daniels, from his TV ad urging Hoosiers to live healthy liefestyles?

And if you can, try to quit smoking.

If no one has the answer, I'll give it tomorrow.

I saw a report on WANE-TV last night about Mayor-elect Tom Henry officially taking office. Ben Eisbart, the leader of his transition team, said something like this about the difference between Henry and Mayor Graham Richard: The outgoing mayor liked staying out of the spotlight, working in the background on all the intricate details of governing. The incoming mayor will enjoy engaging the public, being the visible face of city government, talking about issues.

The Indianapolis Star editorial page, which hasn't been as reliably conservative in recent years, finds religion in a piece headlined "Lavish school buildings throw taxpayers for a loss":

It's my gun, not everybody's:

Deep inside Washington's police headquarters is a library like few others, with floor-to-ceiling racks displaying 1,700 guns, from a World War II-era rifle with bayonet to rows of pocket-size revolvers, automatic pistols and big six-shooters that look straight out of the Wild West.