I would have to go with Obama since I'm in the Anybody But Clinton camp. I thought Edwards was least worst, Obama less than worse, and Hillary really not that much different from a republican. I think these things do matter in that if you don't pick Hillary it pisses off the establishment. It would be fun if Mitt Romney beats McCain as well even though the Mormonism thing is kinda cultlike crazy, not scientology crazy but in the same neighborhood. Anyway, I think Ernest from the Crisis Papers has the best election analysis:

At long last, more and more ordinary Americans are getting the message that they have been lied to, that they can no longer trust the mainstream media, that their public treasury has been looted, that their children’s and grandchildren’s future has been mortgaged, and that they are living under the darkening shadow of despotism.

Still the establishment MICMC rolls on in its arguably pre-determined course, “populism” and the public be damned. Matt Taibbi on Bill Maher’s “Real Time” last Friday summed it up perfectly:

The [campaign] theme for awhile was that the voters were sick and tired of being told by the media who was going to be their nominee. But it seems to have come full circle now, and it looks like we may end up getting the same people we were going to get in the first place: [McCain and Clinton]....

Seventy percent of the country wants to withdraw from Iraq, and we get two pro-war candidates. If that doesn’t tell you how f****d-up the system is, I don’t know what does.

So we are now at a crossroads. Here, for what it's worth, are two scenarios: To the right, we get McCain vs. Clinton and more of the same, whoever wins. If these are the candidates, Hillary will get a media pounding that will make the Swift Boats seem like a luxury cruise. The GOP will nominate McCain and a “smart Bush” – maybe Giuliani or even (God forbid!) Cheney – for Veep. The GOP/MSM noise machine will bring the McCain poll numbers upward toward 45%, which is close enough for Diebold, et. al, to do the rest. McCain, age 72, will win and after a year or two, retire “for health reasons.” Bush’s “enabling acts” will still be in place, and ... – the rest is too horrible to contemplate.

To the left, the public demand for change becomes irresistible. Edwards is nominated, or perhaps Obama with a populist enthusiasm not clearly evident today. A populist/Democratic tsunami overwhelms the black-box voting machines, a Democrat moves into the White House, and the Democrats take substantial control of Congress. By then, the Bush depression may be upon us, opening the door to substantial social, economic and political reform.

The latter scenario can not happen without a massive outpouring of public anger and demand for substantial change. If that anger is contained, we remain on a rightward course. If it breaks loose and the Bastille falls, all bets are off. It's in the hands of we the people.

Hold on tight: it’s going to be a rough ride ahead!