I watched all three historic speeches. McCain, stumbling over teleprompter Obama attack lines, made Bush look lovable with one nasty spontaneous smile after another. With no class, Hillary Clinton smiled like a someone possessed by the Devil as she acted as if she had The Dark's One's guarantee she'd be president in 2009. Obama, began with a loving fist to fist thumbs up (called a "dap" [1]) with Michelle and gave a rousing but smile-free serious speech mostly free of calculated applause lines.

I think dismissing John McCain's nasty streak as a trivial personality quirk is like suggesting the black cat with the white stripe down its back is safe to stand behind when it lifts it tail at you. McCain is looking forward with glee to putting the stink on Obama.

I think McCain enjoys sticking it to people he is competing with. He's like the kid on the field taunting the batter with "swing, swing, swing" and who laughs with satisfaction that the distraction worked when he strikes out.

Last night I kept anticipating that Hillary's eyes would turn into those gleaming red devil eyes you see depicted on television shows and movies about demonic possession.

Demonic possession?

Someone who sold their soul to the Prince of Darkness for the presidency? I know this isn't original (see The Swift Report: The Devil's Endorsement [2] from back in 2005) but I can't control my imagination.

Now Hillary has driven me mad.

But do you want what some readers will say is proof of real madness?

If polling shows that no other ticket besides Obama and Clinton, even Obama and Richardson, would assure a Democratic victory, I would choke back the bile rising in my gut and support this decidely odd couple.