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ust minutes ago, District Court Judge James Mahan rejected the lawsuit that contested the nine at-large Strip caucus sites. He cited case law that “recognizes the parties have the right to determine how to apportion delegates.” Attorney Mark Ferrario for the state teachers’ union and five party activists who brought the lawsuit said he didn’t know whether they would appeal, but “probably not.”

A moment of reflection with da SlickMeister in Vegas.

WASHINGTON -- The Republican presidential race is so unsettled that some party officials are openly talking of a scenario that seemed almost unthinkable until now: the first contested GOP convention in 60 years. Even if Republicans choose a nominee before they convene in Minneapolis-St. Paul on Sept. 1, there's a good possibility he will emerge weeks or even months after the Democratic nominee is chosen, giving Democrats an advantage in fundraising, organizing and campaigning. Congressional Republicans particularly wanted an early nominee to draw voters' attention from President Bush, whose low approval ratings could hurt the entire party in the fall....

Former President Bill Clinton got positively riled -- as in steely-eyed -- today when pressed by a local TV reporter on the issue of lawsuits filed by Sen. Hillary Clinton's Nevada supporters to challenge the Jan. 19 Democratic "at large'' caucus locations that will serve workers on the Las Vegas strip. Many of those workers are members of the 60,000-strong Culinary Workers Union -- which has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama. Clinton was in Oakland to talk up the home mortgage crisis on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign. ... But it got fiery indeed when San Francisco's ABC 7 News...

Barack Obama is the tipping-point man, the meme of the moment, the miracle cure for that chronic American malady: feelin' bad about things. Obama may be "all that," as they say, but let's be clear: Americans are in thrall not with Obama, but with the idea of Obama. His supporters have endowed him with near-mystical powers, not unlike the old Hollywood stereotype of the wise and mystical black person who materializes as a deus ex machina to save the white protagonist. Think Bagger Vance. As one who swooned early over Obama -- the handsome bi-man of unity -- and wrote...

Record turnout expected as interest builds. Colorado is bracing for possible record turnouts in the Feb. 5 presidential caucuses, as state voters get swept up in the country's election fever. Republican Mort Marks, 83, plans to hold a caucus at his house. He said he has received calls from a lot of people he hasn't heard from before, and he has noticed larger turnout at recent Republican events. "There is a hell of a lot more interest than I've seen in many, many years," said Marks, who hasn't decided which GOP candidate he will support... GOP and Democratic Party officials...

*** It looks like Iowans pegged Sen. Hillary "I've worked 35 years for women and children" Clinton as a phony baloney Ossining *** So Clinton thinks that Iowa was a great night for Democrats. If Clinton really thinks this, then she was inhaling, even if her husband wasn't. Belleville *** Clinton took the long-overdue, well-deserved slap in the face that she has had coming to her. The secret is out, and Clinton has been exposed for what she really is. Jackson Heights *** Watch how soon the Clinton cabal's filthy McNasties get working on Obama and Edwards. The politics of...

Sorry, Rudy: If an immigration reform bill allows illegal aliens to stay in the country and become citizens, it's amnesty, even if they have to pay a financial penalty. Fred Thompson spells it out in last night's WMUR-Facebook-ABC debate: (Here's a transcript of the ABC Democrat debate. Here's a transcript of the ABC Republican debate.) Earlier today on NBC's Today Show, Thompson responded to yet another stupid "when ya gonna drop out" question by refocusing on his key issues -- addressing the threat of terrorism and the looming entitlement crisis. When reporter Lester Holt pressed, Thompson took a shot at...

Welcome to the Wyoming Republican Party Calendar. This page is maintained to the best of our ability, however the WYGOP does not guarantee the information contained herein has not changed. Please use the contact information on events to verify times, dates and places. Event: Weston County Convention Day: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Time: 8:30 AM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event: Albany County Convention Day: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Time: 8:00 AM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event: Goshen County Convention Day: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Time: 9:00 AM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event: Crook County Convention Day: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Time: 2:00 PM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event: Campbell County Convention Day:...

CHEYENNE - Wyoming Republicans gather today at county conventions to help select their party's presidential nominee. Will anybody care? While Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee generated lots of attention from victories at Thursday's Iowa caucuses, the same is not likely to happen for the winner in Wyoming. Wyoming has barely cracked the consciousness of national news reporters and pundits who have talked ceaselessly about Iowa and already are focused on Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. Mitt Romney, who finished second in Iowa as a Republican, briefly mentioned Wyoming on cable TV Friday morning. Some national newspapers, including the Washington...

A companion piece to “How Iowa Might Even Matter.” Unfortunately, Iowa mattered. The Huckabee win in Iowa will force the GOP left on economics and foreign policy as a result and the world may well become a more dangerous and poorer place because of it. I offered the following possible scenario as a possible Iowa outcome that matters.10 point Huckabee Win - The GOP candidates now are forced to the left on economics and foreign policy and to the right on social issues. See my earlier comment about Howard Dean and his post New Year’s libations. Stick a big, fat...

A companion piece to “How Iowa Might Even Matter.” Unfortunately, Iowa mattered. The Huckabee win in Iowa will force the GOP left on economics and foreign policy as a result and the world may well become a more dangerous and poorer place because of it. I offered the following possible scenario as a possible Iowa outcome that matters.10 point Huckabee Win - The GOP candidates now are forced to the left on economics and foreign policy and to the right on social issues. See my earlier comment about Howard Dean and his post New Year’s libations. Stick a big, fat...

<p>I thought the time was right to start up a live thread for results and comments about tonight, so here we are!</p>

...As the presidential candidates tell them every single day, Iowans deserve to be the nation’s kingmakers because they are exceptional citizens who take their responsibilities very, very seriously. So tonight, even though it’s very cold — even though it’s Hokies vs. Jayhawks in the Orange Bowl — the sturdy Iowa voters will pull on their parkas and go out to fulfill their historic destiny. Perhaps as many as 15 percent of them! “Money will become irrelevant once somebody wins the Iowa caucus,” said John (I Currently Have No Money) Edwards. “The winner of the Iowa caucus is going to have...

Ok, yeah I have small children. But that’s beside the point. I think Fred Thompson has a strong shot at 2nd place in Iowa. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high because it is more likely that he will finish 3rd. But if, as I am getting from the news coverage, this McCain, Huckabee, Romney food fight on the airwaves in Iowa is souring voters to those candidates, Fred Thompson could be the beneficiary of that sentiment. Going negative in Iowa has always carried risks and Iowa is the place where dark horses rise to the top....

Mitt Romney said last year that it would be “akin to a nightmare” to have to fund his presidential campaign out of his personal fortune. But I can think of worse things. One would be spending $20 million of your money . . . and then losing. Forget “akin to” - that would be the politician’s ultimate nightmare. So now Mitt Romney is about to find out how much it costs to buy - or fail to buy - an election in 2008. A lot more than the $6 million it cost him to buy the Massachusetts governorship in 2002,...

Remember the guy who asked Fred Thompson, at a campaign stop, if he really wanted to be President? He contacted Jim Geraghty with his opinion of the answer and, it seems, he was pretty darned happy with it. Here’s an excerpt: It was a great answer. At points during the answer I was ashamed I had asked the question. I knew the answer. Do I really want to support a candidate who lives to be President? Is that type of candidate really interested in serving the nation or serving his own self-interest? Sen. Thompson positioned himself as willing to serve,...

DES MOINES, IOWA — With no clear front-runner in either party, this week's Iowa presidential caucuses are shaping up to be a genuine cliffhanger, with few willing to venture predictions. "The old rule of thumb is that there is always a surprise," said Dennis Goldford, a political scientist at Drake University. "But this year the surprise could be that there's no surprise." Iowans on Thursday render judgment on a presidential campaign that already feels long but is really just beginning. The uncertainty of the caucus results is intensifying the race here in the final days, with the candidates barely stopping...

The campaigns are in the final stretch. The Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary are but days away. In just over a month, the presidential nominees for both major parties will be effectively set, and a nine-month contest for the leadership of our nation and the power to choose between starkly different directions for our republic will ensue. The Democrat nominee will advocate higher taxes and more government involvement in Americans’ everyday lives. The Republican nominee should advocate lower taxes with greater fiscal accountability, limited government intrusion, and tough law enforcement. Any of the Democrat candidates can advocate their...

Wondering about the early response to Fred Thompson’s closing argument to the people of Iowa, I just spent a moment skimming the comments on YouTube. About a fifth of the several hundred posts seem unimpressed, but the rest are positive—many simply glowing. A sampling: If you call yourself a conservative, you need to vote for this man! Wow. Watch the whole thing; it's a little long. I had to wipe a tear from my eye at the end. THIS should be our next President. I know who I am voting for now. Ladies and Gentlemen: The President of the United...