Full House

At the risk of writing my second straight post without any comments, I'm going to stay with the political theme and suggest a new method for choosing our presidential candidates. The voting process has proven its own inadequacies again and again, and processing electoral math has many Americans more dumbfounded than if you had asked them to balance the federal budget.

To that end, I now propose a new selection process for our Commander in Chief which will no doubt prove more accurate in the choosing of the best possible candidate. Poker.

All of the skills needed to deal with foreign heads of state and a Congress run by the minority party, are honed and proven during a tight game of poker. While seven-card stud and texas hold 'em would be excellent gauges, I think the swings and the multi-dimensional thinking of a game of Omaha Hi-Lo would best suit our needs for finding a new POTUS.

The merchandising and endless TV airings of the machinations of this grand tournament would be worth a fortune. We eliminate the estimated $1 billion (per candidate) cost of running a presidential campaign, and add only the costs of the TV production and of course, don't forget to tip your dealer.

Obama plays poker. Ron Paul has become an advocate for legalizing domestic online poker. The only loser here might be Mike Huckabee.

And think of the precedent this could set for settling future political quagmires. At an impossible disagreement over immigration? Settle it at the table, boys. Or maybe it's high time that President Bush cemented his legacy by resolving the long standoff between Israel and Palestine over a quick round of five-card draw.

Press conferences announcing new policies would be a dream. What exactly was the administration's rationale for this radical new energy reform bill? "Simply put, we missed an outside draw, and Harry Reid took it with a high pair!"

Speaking of press conferences, this has got to be one of the BEST ever: