Free Republic

One Democratic operative suggests keeping track of Barack Obama’s cabinet selections with a March Madness-type tournament chart. While no official announcements have been made, a controlled series of leaks have given a good sense of who's still in contention, and which big names have been bounced from the bracket. The new administration still has some major posts to fill, including heads for the departments of Defense, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Labor, and Energy, not to mention the Environmental Protection Agency. But a number of the biggest prizes seem to have already been won, and a handful of serious contenders...

Will both major candidates be claiming victory in the presidential election? Could be. John Kerry realizes that the worst blunder Al Gore made in his coup attempt four years ago was not immediately claiming, however falsely, that he had been elected. Thus "Kerry, bracing for a potential fight over election results, will not hesitate to declare victory Nov. 2 and defend it, advisers say. He also will be prepared to name a national security team before knowing whether he's secured the presidency," the Associated Press revealed today. Goodness, he hasn't been so quick to move since that time he fled...