Stunned onlookers didn't expect this. McCain wins with Wisconsin to go over the top. David Axelrod urges Obama to contest it. The loss of Brett Favre was too much.
As the Left contemplated this potential triumph, it was Sarah Palin that did it. The plucky Middle Class in Middle America ante up'd agin and even the Al Franken victory was no recourse.
As hardcore libertarians decry the recent controversy at LPHQ and shake their fists at this horrible and obvious capitulation to statism, one wonders how their ardent advocation of free markets and spirit can possibly have any effect in a world of real power. And while the ED who contributed to this flap is gone, the howling and the frustration is blamed on politics and the unworthy who would continue to participate in it. Yet the examination of why we continue and the nature of that fight must always be examined in context. 
This past weekend I resisted the temptation to hit the Sunday morning political yap circuit in favor of some Netflix online. I came across one of my favorite flicks, The Mission. It is a story about the Jesuit Missions and the conflict between the Spanish and Portuguese colonial powers during the 1750s, near what is now Paraguay and Brazil. Starring Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons, it tells the story of the conflict between eternal love on Earth and the power of the state and church on the people who would promote that love here on earth. In many ways it parallels the hideous contradiction that Libertarian politics has become. At once, it is the unique assertion that a non-violent attitude and approach will always suffer in an arena rife with hypocrisy, hate and acknowledgment that a monopoly of force is the only way to achieve the 'good'. I'm pretty sure George S. and Chris Wallace & Matthews didn't go into quite this that morning.
If you grew up reading MAD magazine you'll remember the zany Spy v. Spy. The operative idea being that two sides of the same game constantly seek advantage over the other while the whole time just destroying one another. Republicans and Democrats are splintered. Whatever teary eyed impression one takes from the Iowa game, it is in fact that the two major parties in the US are divided.
While a virtual three way tie has made Obama the top lawyer in the Donkey barn, the evangelic enigma that is Mike Huckabee has only stirred an already muddy river. Thompson, McCain and Paul came into a virtual tie for third. All three stand a decent chance to do something in New Hampshire, while Huckabee and Rudy will have to play on the sidelines. Romney strikes at 20%+ throughout most of the process. The most disheartening part is the lovefest the MSM has with the horse race.