Politics

There’s now a minor media buzz about John Kasich, the former Ohio governor who is now in clear second in New Hampshire—and rising. If he manages to vault even more clearly over Bush, Christie, and Rubio there, he’ll garner lots of national attention. Having attended two of his events, I could see him thriving under a greater spotlight. He’s smart, optimistic, has a compelling personal story, was a very successful governor of a swing state, has an attractive family (wife and three teenage daughters, traveling with him this week in the campaign).

Michael Gerson pleads for someone to stop Trump and Cruz:

For Republicans, the only good outcome of Trump vs. Cruz is for both to lose. The future of the party as the carrier of a humane, inclusive conservatism now depends on some viable choice beyond them.

I have already made my point about the absurdity of treating the modern GOP as “the carrier of a humane, inclusive conservatism,” so I’ll just say here that supporters of preventive war have no standing to lecture anyone else on what is immoral or obscene.

It is less than a month before the New Hampshire primary, where Cruz hopes to be able to knock Rubio out of the race:

“I don’t know where anywhere else Kasich is going to do well. I think Christie has a short half-life,” said former New Hampshire House Speaker Bill O’Brien, a Cruz co-chairman here. “Rubio, on the other hand, could stay around for a while — but I don’t think he’s going to.”

Some of Rubio’s top supporters acknowledge the Florida senator needs to win the establishment free-for-all here.

David Brooks sounds the alarm over Trump and Cruz about six months too late:

What’s needed is a grass-roots movement that stands for governing conservatism, built both online and through rallies, and gets behind a single candidate sometime in mid- to late February.

So crappy China growth and increased Iran supply prompted a stop-run surge in crude oil overnight as "bad news is good news" stimulus hopes lifted all boats. But that is over now as Iran cuts oil prices to Europe, reigniting the price wars...

Who could have seen that coming?