Letters from Feb. 16, 2008

Politics

Who won the WA Republican Caucus?

That fact is, that nobody really knows who won the Washington State Republican Caucus. Indeed McCain and the media have reported a victory, but it is all a bunch of B.S. In Kitsap County, nearly 24 percent of the delegates listed “uncommited” for their presidential preference. That makes the margin for error about as big as it can get. Can you imagine adding 20 percent to any of the candidates votes? It is indeed undecided.

So how does this mess get straightened out? Well, the delegates selected on Feb. 9 go on to select county delegates, who then go on to select 18 state delegates that actually do the voting at the national convention. The chances of a precinct delegate getting to the national convention are less than one in a thousand. The bottom line is that no one really knows who these 18 delegates will be until after the state convention.

I guess with the way things are these days, the media wants data, even if it is incomplete, and is willing to report about a winner when one cannot honestly be called. Perhaps this is their way of effecting the primary votes that are not due, and will not be counted until Feb. 19.

People may think that this is “politics,” but there is one candidate running for president that plays by different rules. The ignorance of voters seems to put him at a disadvantage, but people are waking up. This man’s name is Dr. Ron Paul.

DAN GOEBEL

Keyport