Everybody say WOOOOO

We are a mere five days away from the hallowed Presidential Primary, while tonight Iowa does what it may to justify its importance in the whole sordid affair. I am not supposed to care what Iowa is doing because I am from New Hampshire, where on P Day we Humble the Mighty. If we don't say so ourselves.

There is certainly no shortage of zealots around here at the moment. A good sixty of them crowded onto four corners outside my office building this morning: pounding the air with mittened fists, clutching ginormous campaign signs. Hooting and hollering like absolute kooks. OH, and it was eight degrees out there, before the wind chill factor. Thus upping their reading on the kook meter.

There was a great deal of chanting and changing of corners. And horn honking. Lots and lots of horn honking, which precipitated further hooting and hollering from the kooks.

I say kooks, when what I mean, of course, are deeply impassioned citizens taking an active role. Yes, I get that. Their presence held my attention for quite some time, actually...if for no other reason than I wondered what they all did when they were not rioting in the streets. Are they career campaigners, or regular people who felt compelled to get involved? Were they willing to stand out there all day? Would they lose their voices? Would they bludgeon each other?

Anyway, the riff raff disbursed after an hour or so - no doubt to haunt some new hot spot. Or maybe to have their frostbitten digits removed and strung on necklaces as reminders of their participation in the Great '08.

I respect their commitment, I do...yet I can't help but wonder if this is the reality of how we will choose the next leader of the free world. As if bellowing for an encore at an Aerosmith concert.