Howard Fineman on Chris Matthew's Hard Ball show uttered a scary prediction. Fineman said that Howard Dean maybe 2004's Ralph Nader. If Dean decides to fight to the finish for the presidential democratic nomination, he could drain democratic election coffers. Pat Buchanan said as much as well. There wouldn't be enough money left in the demo war chest to run against Bush. Plus, like Nader, Howard Dean would split the democratic party.

The split part has already happened, and the war on Iraq did that. It's the emptying of the democratic war chest that has me worried. Whoever wins the democratic nomination if going to need a ton of cash to run against Bush.

I saw the clips of the speech of Howard Dean that people were kicking around today. On David Letterman, they showed the clip and had Dean's head explode. The guy was definitely about to come unglued.

I can't stand Peggy Noonan, but she did have the funniest comment about Howard Dean. Noonan said that Howard Dean would remind every American woman of the husband or boyfriend they had to slap a restraining order on. Sick but definitely very, very funny!

It's bad and I can't help myself but I watched American Idol last night. And the only reason I watch that show is because of Simon Cowell.

Yowza, that man is attractive! And I don't know if he's attractive because he really is cute or because I like that's he's nasty and honest. I can't tell.

I was sitting there blowing kisses at my television to him every time his face appeared. Sick, sick, sick! I'm going to turn into one of those people who rearranges their life so they can watch some damned television show. There are very few network TV shows I would schedule my life around, and I guess this will be one of them.

Of course, it is deliciously fun to watch those contestants who absolutely can't sing but go ahead and audition anyway. I sit there and wonder, what were these people thinking. But hey! Maybe they purposefully are bad so they can get on TV, since they'll probably never get on any other way.

I'm already rooting for the red haired boy who did the Dean Martin impersonation and who has the old fashioned voice, and I'm hoping the anorexic scooter chick gets booted quickly. God, I just wanted to slap that woman and I don't know why either.

What was it with Dean's speech after the Iowa caucuses? People on talk radio are talking about it like mad. Some lady said it was like a scene out of Dr. Strangelove. Maybe they'll show it on TV again, and I can see what people are talking about.

The funniest comment was by a guy from Burlingame who watched Dean's speech and said you wouldn't want that nut with his finger on the big nuclear guns.

I'm not surprised Howard Dean didn't win in Iowa. All that anger and he's negative to boot. Plus, all those Hollywood types campaigning for him and outsiders coming in to the state probably upset people.

I lived in Iowa for four years. They're country people. They don't like outsiders coming in and getting into their business. Nobody likes that kind of behaviour actually, but midwesteners hate it with a passion. Midwesteners are also common sense and pragmatic people, and Howard Dean as a presidential candidate makes no sense.

Now that John Edwards is another story. He's starting to look very interesting, and that great Vanity Fair article didn't hurt either.