Yes, it's about as newsworthy as reporting that the sun did indeed rise in the east. Still, let it be known that Barack Obama won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire with 82% of the vote.

I'm not sure what to read into this. I'd like to say that the incumbent Democratic president running virtually unopposed (except for a few non entities on the ballot) couldn't even crack 90% support from Democrats in New Hampshire.

But as the 2004 results show, President Bush couldn't even manage to crack 80%. Sitting presidents are targets no matter which party is in poiwer.

Wall Street Journal:

While few noticed, President Barack Obama cruised to an easy victory in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, though a baker's dozen of others on the ballot and write-in candidates garnered about 18% of the vote.

With about 80% of the votes counted, the president had picked up just over 82%, according to the Associated Press.

Ed Cowan of Waterbury, Vt., came in first among the also-rans. His campaign website pushes an environmental theme, and suggests asking "prominent politicians and other prominent people clever Socratic questions designed to expose the ubiquitous clouds of hypocrisy that now obscure public debate." The one he's most itching to ask concerns "the nuclear-tipped arms race... the only problem that can destroy us (with ozone coming up quickly on the outside rail) and because by solving it, we can save trillions of dollars."

Next up: Vermin Supreme, who has run in New Hampshire three times before. The bearded Mr. Supreme calls himself a "friendly fascist." Forget the chicken in every pot, he promises to subsidize a pony for everyone.

A series of write-in candidates and even lesser lights got the rest.

I think I'd prefer Vermin to Obama -- at least he's honest about wasting our money.

There was talk of a "Hillary for President" write in effort but that fizzled out. But this should be kept in mind; the longer the GOP race goes on, the better for Obama. This will be especially true since it appears that some GOP candidates prefer the Götterdämmerung approach to the race; slash and burn and cut and thrust and finally blow the whole damn thing to hell. I approve of a spirited campaign based on issues and personalities -- not class warfare and anti-capitalist screeds.

We'll see what happens in the next fortnight with the contest heating up in South Carolina.