BARACK OBAMA FORMALLY DECLARED SATURDAY on the steps of the old capitol building in Springfield, IL.  A nice crowd appeared to be on hand for the speech. I watched most of the speech, and the content was predictable. He emphasized hope and working together, but nobody ever pays attention to the content of any of Obama's speeches. Crowds become mesmerized by his rhetoric - similar to Bill Clinton - and it's all style in lieu of substance. That said, he is a good communicator.

Behind all the style lies a solid liberal in the eastern tradition. We all remember how eastern liberals have fared in recent national elections (Dukakis, Kerry) versus perceived moderate southern governors (Carter, Bill Clinton). The challenge for the Democrats is whether to follow the nutroots and nominate someone in the liberal form of Obama - politically-speaking - or someone with a more moderate Senator Clinton. Of course, Hillary's steady march to the left - especially on the war - may give a good indication where the national party is headed.

We've heard over and over that the country is evenly-divided. That is to say that in a presidential election, barring any sort of scandal, each candidate locks up its solid 45% and then fight over the remaining uncommitted 10%. It seems to me that Senator Clinton's call for President Bush to end the Iraq war before he leaves office in January 2009 will not resonate among the 10% located in the south. However, it's a moderate position compared to the "end the war now" positions of several of her opponents (Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Tom Vilsack).  

It will be interesting to see how the Democrat's race goes as we get closer to Iowa/New Hampshire/South Carolina in 2008. Obama has the media solidly in his corner, but he trails badly in just about every poll taken head-to-head against Sen. Clinton. We all remember how the Clinton machine works, and it will be interesting to see how the Clinton's handle a Obama surge in any poll.
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GOOD TO SEE THAT COLLEGE ATHLETICS are about student-athletes, teaching life's lessons, and not about money, correct? Take into account two separate incidents over the past few weeks. Gonzaga suspended two basketball players (Josh Heytvelt and Theo Davis) indefinately after their arrest on drug charges Friday. Heytvelt is one of the Zags' best players, but he was suspended after the arrest, despite claiming innocence. Coach Mark Few took the action without regard to winning and losing, and this is the correct action.

The second account is up in North Dakota and its men's hockey team. After a weekend in which they crushed my Minnesota Golden Gophers, three players, Robbie Bina, T.J. Oshie, and Jonathan Toews, got into an incident in a Grand Forks bar in which Oshie and Toews (both underage) were cited. Bina apparently tried to free the other two from the back of a squad car, and was charged with impeding a police investigation. Oh, and Bina was under probation for DUI! The school issued statements from each of the players and coach Dave Hakstol said the players would be subject to team disciplinary matters. Oshie and Toews are both first-round NHL draft picks and Bina is one of the team's veterans.

All three played in this weekend's games against MSU-Mankato, and each registered points in both games (except for Oshie on Saturday). I guess that these players will be disciplined at a time where games do not count in the standings!