I noticed in the Daily Kos Presidential Poll that Wesley Clark was by far the most popular choice for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008, with Hillary Clinton and Russ Feingold essentially tied for second.
While all three would make fine candidates, I think the Daily Kos community needs a reality check. Barring unforeseen developments, Hillary Clinton is the strong favorite to be the nominee.
My evidence? How people are betting on the 2008 election at gambling sites like Tradesports.com.
I can't give you a direct link to the Presidential futures page, but if you go to
http://www.tradesports.com/
then click on Politics > 2008 US Elections, you will get the page on the 2008 Presidential election.
You will note that the prices on these futures contracts are saying that there is a 49% probability that Hillary will be the Democratic nominee, while the probability that Clark or Feingold will get the nomination is less than 1% for each man.
Now of course the people who are making these wagers are not infallible, but they presumably have made a realistic evaluation of the chances of each candidate. A futures market such as this has a way of bringing out the collective wisdom of the group, which exceeds the wisdom of any one individual.
There is one encouraging sign. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the Presidential futures page. The odds in favor of the Democrats winning the Presidency in 2008 are 51 to 48.
William Coleman