My back hurt this morning. I think Owen and Cecilia are starting to get too heavy for me to carry around like I used to. Guess I should have skipped the extra burrito last night.

I'm a little aprehensive about the results in the primaries last night. it was my hope that there would be a clear decision last night and that Hillary would bow out. I have been listening to Obama's book on my iPod at the gym in the mornings and I really like what he has to say. Marc Andreesen also made a point in his posting that struck a chord. He's our first Post-Boomer candidate. In other words he's one of us!

Now prior to the last three weeks of the campaign I was somewhat undecided about Hillary and Obama. For the most part their platforms are not that far apart. The biggest differences between the two however is outlook and behaviour. Hillary seems to campaign from the standpoint of "Those bastards are out to get me! Help me fight them", while Obama takes the tack of "Together we can accomplish great things". I like that message. Having listened to the book I think it seems to be the way he approaches much of his life and that it isn't window dressing to gain the white house. Further more Hillary in the last few weeks, facing 11 primary defeats in a row and sagging polls, Went negative. The picture of Barrack in Kenya that "she had no knowledge of" and the 3:00 AM commercial as well as the tone of her speaches all demonstrate that Clinton is More of the same. And by that I mean more of the same Ad Hominem crap that seems to be the only way people in this country can be stirred up enough to actually get out and vote.

An additional issue is that now John McCain has closed a front. He has the nomination and can now campaign full on and frame much of the rest of the race on his own terms. He can allow Hillary and Barrack to do all the work against each other for him. With the next major primary not coming until April in Pennsylvania that gives McCain a huge jump on the presidential race.

I think that if left to him McCain can run a clean campaign and avoid going negative. I think matched against an Obama campaign there is a chance for an issues based campaign. I don't think the team behind Clinton would allow that type of atmosphere. I think that's a shame.

Now of course I'm not naive enough to actually believe that no one will go negative in this cycle. I count on it. 527's and other national orgs will flood the airwaves with an unbelievable amount of crap. Crap that many people will lap up and ask for more. I hope that the candidates will have the integrity and courage to call those groups out on it and demand they stop. I'm just happy that being in Illinois I'll be spared most of it, assuming Obama gets the bid.

Or maybe I am just a little naive...