Catching up

I had intended to take note of Mitt Romney's results in the Republican primary elections in South Carolina and the caucuses in Nevada, but by now this is old news.
I noted before the election that, at least among conservatively oriented bloggers, Fred Thompson had a majority of support, but his campaign had no legs. This was indeed the case, and most of his supporters seem to be looking at Romney as their next best choice. Also, Mike Huckabee's campaign is running out of money. He's been appealing to conservative evangelicals, but is only getting about half of them, and hardly anyone else. He may continue to do fairly well in the so-called Bible Belt, but that's not enough to get him elected. John McCain's campaign is also short on cash. Rudy Giuliani focused his strategy on ignoring the early contests and concentrating on the big states, but at least in the polls, this strategy doesn't seem to be working. Amazingly, Romney could come out ahead in Florida. If he does so, he will have a commanding lead in delegates, which will put him in excellent position in the various elections on Feb 5.

I also wanted to note the passing of Bobby Fischer. He used to write a column on chess for Boy's Life, which I used to read as I was learning the game, and I was delighted to see him win the World Championship. However, I also noted the controversy he caused by picky and unreasonable demands. Then, after the championship, he disappeared and practically gave up competitive chess. When he did surface, his actions were bizarre and bordered on the irrational. I was sorry to see his decline: he was a genius at what he did, for a time.