The Storm Before The Storm

TWISTERS PUMMEL THE OZARKS

. . . AS NEW HAMPSHIRE GETS READY FOR HISTORY

As Southwest Missourians get hammered with a round of relentless tornadoes, the people of New Hampshire are beginning to vote in the nation's first primary.

As tradition, voting in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire begins at midnight.

If the polls are correct (they were basically right in Iowa), Barack Obama will defeat Hillary Clinton Tuesday -- possibly by double-digits. Maybe that's why Hillary Clinton cried today. Or maybe, just maybe, she's human like the rest of us. Either way, it looks like Tuesday will deliver an aftershock to the initial political earthquake just 5 days before.

On the Republican side, poll after poll shows John McCain narrowly ahead of favorite neighboring son Mitt Romney. But observers see Romney gaining momentum in the final 24 hours, winning over coveted independent voters that McCain is counting on. The more Republican this primary is, the better it is for Romney. McCain is hoping to split the G.O.P. vote, and win independents, sending him towards one of the greatest political comebacks in history. Romney won't go quietly, but a loss Tuesday will mean one foot in the grave.

The year is just 7 days old, and it's already been politically fascinating. The first credible female candidate is on the ropes to an African-American superstar, being compared to the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. Who would have thought that the longer, more interesting race could be the Republican one? And after the dust settles on these amazing primaries, how will the general election live up to the hype?

Here's to hoping you and yours are safe from the storms tonight . . .