Whose the dark horse?

At every Christmas Party I've hosted or attended this month (and they have been numerous), several of us keep having the same conversation and confronting the SAME question: Whom are we actually going to vote for next month? I know that many of the Henniker bloggers settled that question months ago, but I am part of that large NH group that's still not 100% sure. And judging from these conversations, many of us are not particularly happy with this year's primary process. The amount of money candidates have had to spend TO KEEP UP this year is absolutely outrageous! And all of the events I have attended for the two frontrunners have felt more like the large, impersonal rallies I'd expect in my home state of New York but not the much more personal living room, back porch, or, perhaps, back yard events I have been attending or hosting here in NH since 1972. That type of event, and the Edwards and Dodd campaigns seem to understand this, has been both the backbone and the spirit of the NH Primary season since its inception. It is that type of setting that helps us REALLY get a feeling for the candidates. Unfortunately, this year's front-loaded primary schedule, coupled with the seeming "celebrity" status of the two frontrunners, has made these more intimate settings less feasible. And speaking of the frontrunners, from these holiday gathering conversations, I am finding that I am far from alone in having been turned off by Oprah's intervention on behalf of Obama and in still having serious concerns about Hillary's ability to #1 get elected and #2 bring this country back together. My problem, and one apparently shared by many of my democratic and democratic-leaning friends, is whom to pick from the other VERY appealing candidates. I am leaning toward Edwards and will probably choose him on the 8th, but I could just as easily check off Dodd, Biden, or Richardson. Each is an intelligent candidate with good ideas and sound experience. His lack of experience is part of my problem with Obama, AND none of these four elicits the type of animosity Hillary brings out in so many Americans. We democrats have some excellent choices among these four, and my hope is that enough of us can figure out which one of them is the dark horse that can make Obama and Clinton the also rans and take over the White House next year.