McCain wins Missouri, nation goes berserk

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, the first part of that is true, not the second.

At long last, the presidential election is over. The last remaining state to be decided, Missouri, has been declared a win for McCain.

It's still unofficial, but CNN has called it: "According to the unofficial results, McCain won the state by 3,632 votes. The unofficial count shows McCain with 1,445,812 votes, or 49.4 percent, and Obama with 1,442,180 votes, or 49.3 percent."

Which makes you wonder: Is Missouri no longer the nation's bellweather? Before this year, "Missourians correctly picked the presidential candiate in every election dating back to the 1960 contest. Missouri got it wrong in 1956, voting for the Democratic challenger Adlai Stevenson, who lost the election to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Before that election, Missouri correctly picked the winner in every race for the White House dating back to 1904."

As for me, I'm just annoyed it's the one state I got wrong.

Recount!

(No, not seriously. Let's just move on.)