Short takes on policitians

1. Karen Handel conceded the Republican primary runoff for GA governor before all absentee and provisional ballots had been counted. With 100% of precincts reporting, she trailed by 2,479 votes out of 578,671. In her concession, she said she was trailing by "four tenths of a percentage point."

Oops, Karen. Check your math. That actually is 0.004 -- four one thousandths of a percentage point. Comes well within what would require an automatic recount -- if she asked for it. Which she has said she will not. But did she really think it was 0.4% rather than 0.004%? That's quite a difference.

How to feel about her losing? I thought she was the lesser of two evils. If I had a crystal ball and could know which would be easier for Roy Barnes to defeat, that would be my choice. But whatever, I find it beyond deplorable to think that Deal's despicable anti-gay smear -- even more his unconscionable smear of Youth Pride -- would have helped him win. Which means he will probably find a way to smear Roy Barnes as well with some kind of anti-gay bring-out-the-bigot vote.

2. Marianne Gingrich, Newt's wife #2 -- the one he married after telling #1 he wanted a divorce while she was in the hospital being treated for breast cancer -- has given an interview to Esquire that should give pause to anyone who doesn't already react in horror at the thought of "President Gingrich."

A few months after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Marianne learned Newt was having an affair and confronted him. She asked him how he could go around the country giving speeches about family values while carrying on an affair, he said: "It doesn't matter what I do; people need to hear what I have to say."

Note to Mrs. Gingrich #3: Try not to get sick.

3. Dan Quayle's son, Ben, running for a congressional seat from Arizona, has an ad in which he says "Barack Obama is the worst president in history. And my generation will inherit a weakened country. . . . Somebody has to go to Washington and knock hell out of the place."

How profound. You'll got to Washington and "knock hell" out of the place. And then what, Ben?

4. Palin's score. Sarah Palin came to Atlanta the day before the runoff and made an appearance with Karen Handel -- who didn't win -- or maybe gave up too soon by not calling for a recount. This adds another high profile race in which Palin endorsed the one who lost. At least one Republican, Jack Kingston of GA, wants her to stay away and stop meddling in other state's elections. I say let her keep it up -- she doesn't seem to be doing much harm at this rate.

5. Tea Party Wins. Three Tea Party candidates are now on the ballot as Republican senatorial candidates for November: Rand Paul (TN), Sharron Angle (NV) and Ken Buck (CO). Is this good or bad? I'd like to believe the more extreme the Republican, the easier for a Democrat to win. But that remains to be seen.

Ralph