Your husband had told me you were the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. I didn't expect the most beautiful woman I'd ever met.

The results of a recent study on happiness in marriage were released yesterday and among other things they found this--

Here's a story for all the guys who will never be voted the World's Sexiest Man. A new study suggests ugly men with beautiful wives are happiest.

I'm not sure what that means in the big picture but it does go a long way towards explaining this--

Although this is a little worrisome--

Psychologists at the University of Tennessee have found that in marriages where the husband is more attractive than his wife, the man is often unhappy, and that leads to trouble.

Because as beautiful as my wife is, it has to be a concern to both of us that the adjective used most often to describe me is "Clooneyesque."

UPDATE - Because Fran demanded pictures. This is me performing my one man show "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son" at the Met and not singer/ actress Rosemary Clooney as it may appear at first glance.

Even as a dog! And I'll stay till the end. I'll live and I'll die under this rock!

Congratulations to Donna Edwards and Senator Obama. Great wins for both last night.

The consensus of political analysis I've seen shows Senator Clinton would need at least a 60% margin of victory in all the remaining contests to catch Obama in the pledged delegates. Of course that's not including the Supers or Michigan and Florida so there are still a lot of factors still up in the air.

I toodled around the progressive blogs after the returns came in and I have to say that I find the debate between Clinton and Obama supporters that've really consumed most of the forums on the left-side of the blogsphere to be partly amusing but almost entirely annoying.

To begin with this debate has a silly Swiftian air about it with Clinton and Obama supporters at war over which end of the egg to open first. Both Clinton and Obama are establishment candidates with very little policy difference between them. As an example the big argument over the last couple of weeks has been whether Clinton's health care plan has mandates or whether Obama's plan relies to heavily on private insurance. Both plans are comparatively modest to what we need in health care reform. Neither would bring the sea change necessary to truly fix this issue.

But what's really chapping my suspenders is the "I'll take my ball and go home" attitude among some of the Clinton supporters I've read in comments sections on big lefty blogs. Here's the journey I and a lot of progressives had to take already during the course of this election-

Me: "I really like Al Gore. He's the most articulate when it comes to slapping down the excesses of the Bush years. Run, Al run!"

Gore decides not to run.

Supporters of the other candidates: "Get behind somebody else for the good of the party."

Me: "Fine. This Kucinich guy seems to be the most progressive."

Kucinich drops out.

Supporters of the other candidates: "Get behind somebody else for the good of the party."

Me: "Sigh. Well Edwards is right about the war and social justice."

Edwards takes a hike.

Supporters of the other candidates: "Get behind somebody else for the good of the party."

Me: "Grrrrr. At least Obama didn't vote for the war."

Obama starts to sew-up the nomination.

Supporters of the other candidate: "I'll NEVER vote for Obama."

Me: "What the fuck?"

If the rest of us can compromise and compromise until our compromiser is worn out those of you who support Senator Clinton can, at the very least, start to back down of the rhetorical ledge you've talked yourself out onto. The rest of us have absolutely no sympathy.

We might even shout "jump!"

I do not fear a skunk. I simply do not care for its odor.

Yesterday the Draft Bloomberg movement swung into full gear. If I had to wager I'd bet he'll throw his hat in the ring. Only our sane national leaders seem to be immune to the urgings of the little mini-me whispering "run, run" into their ear. Bloomberg doesn't fit that bill.

Yesterday also marked the exclusion of Dennis Kucinich from the Democratic debate in Arizona by MSNBC as the result of a last minute Arizona Supreme Court victory. Only the big three, one of which I support, took the stage. They were all in the wrong for doing so without Kucinich, in my humble opinion. Play fair guys.

Let's keep that in mind as we look ahead to the national debates that will take place after the parties have made their nominees official in their conventions. Judging by the standards set by the media in the Kucinich case I will say unequivocally that independent candidate Michael Bloomberg should not, under any circumstances, be included in those debates.

Of course he probably will be included even though at that point not a single American will have voted for him. The media, not the voters, get to provide our choices in this day and age.

So please join me in preemptive outrage at this series of events. One more straw to put on the back of the crushed, rotting camel carcass that is America.

You make me want to be a better man.

Thank you Dennis Kucinich for your action yesterday. All of us regardless of party or political worldview are hurt when the media decides who can and cannot be represented in the primary debates.

If you've got a few extra doubloons throw them his way.

I'm going to donate but also I think a special reward is in order. As a thank you to Dennis I'd be willing to take his wife out to dinner so she can get some rest off of the campaign trail.

It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

(Thus completes the Jack Nicholson trifecta.)

Admit so, sir. This is some new form of torture. Say it, Brother Sir.

A friend recently asked me who I thought would take the Democratic nomination in '08. I haven't the foggiest. If you believe the press then it'll be Hillary or Obama. Yawn. Here's my personal take on the candidates and potential candidates so far...

Hillary Clinton - No, no, just NO. The appeal seems to be her profile, her enormous campaign war chest with would presumably give her an advantage in the general, and the "two-fer" we'd get from having Bill Clinton back in the Whitehouse as the First Spouse. So what?

Hillary has been a huge disappointment as a Senator. She represents a solidly blue state yet has continued to put her national political ambitions ahead of what's good for the country or what's good for the Democratic party. Her support for the war or, at the very least, her failure to criticize it's prosecution, should automatically disqualify her from the nomination as demonstratably lacking the judgment necessary to be President.

Barack Obama - Look, I loved his keynote speech at the convention, although it was delivered before the the wrong audience. Democrats aren't the ones pushing the red/ blue America meme.

Putting that aside the guy just hasn't lived up to the hype. There was a particularly memorable moment when he got Pwned by John McCain over torture that comes to mind. He just comes across as too nice a guy to deal realistically with Republicans who favor eliminationist policies towards Democrats.

John Edwards - I like the populist message and like seeing someone focus on economic concerns but the fact is he did very poorly in his debate with V.P. Yosemite Sam. If you can't face down the Prince of Darkness, who can you face down.

Dennis Kucinich - Love his policitics but don't think he has a serious chance at fundraising and the nomination. Would love to be wrong on this.

John Kerry and Al Gore - I'm lumping these guys together not just because they share the dubious honor of already having been the Democratic candidate for the Presidency but they also both failed to understand the depths Republicans would go to to steal the Presidency nor be willing to put up a real fight. Kerry sins on this issue are particularly unforgivable.

I know I left a ton of potential candidates off this list the whole exercise is beginning to leave me depressed. I'm really hoping for a white horse this year to come in and shake things up.