No such thing as political science

As he so often is, Chris Matthews was bang on target last week, in his definition (or lack thereof) of Political Science:

I don't think there is such a thing as political science.... I think political science is an oxymoron. I don't know what this science is they keeping talking about.....How you can justify calling yourself a political scientist, when the whole thing is about art and personality and—and smart argument and circumstance?

I second this with firsthand experience because that discord between science and the arts is the primary reason for my proverbial fork in the road: one relies on hard evidence and absolute data, the other does away with factual rigidity by celebrating nuances, interpretations and abstractions – it's the tangible vs. the intangible and they don't ever plan to meet halfway.

Mr. President Articulate

After hearing the most powerful man on earth say “nucular” and ‘internets’ for the past seven years, what would happen if the next president of this country were to be determined by eloquence alone.

Going by the debates so far, here are the top contenders:

5. Hillary Clinton: Whoever knew the less charming, less articulate Clinton could actually come out as the most effective candidate in the two Democratic debates (most importantly, leaving buddy Obama far behind, whose turn it is to bumble). Could she perhaps have defied Mendel and inherited genes from husband dearest?

4. Joe Biden: Though his most arresting moment in the debates was an acquiescent “yes” to Brian Williams in response to a question on whether he could control his verbosity, since then, Biden has done anything but. Starting with his signature, “one-two-three...” process of answering questions and going into specific details to explain positions, it is hard to imagine why he remains a second-tier candidate. Perhaps he should stop talking about the issues and merely offer soundbites?

3. Rudy Giuliani: If Obama emerged into the national political scene with his keynote address in the ’04 convention, Rudy reinforced his. And his eloquent and quick responses in the debates have hardly been a surprise (except for the infamous gaffe that was his answer to the ‘pro-choice’ question, which he has pruned and spruced to perfection since). And boy, is he ruthless to his enemies, be it Islamic fundamentalists or his democratic colleagues.

2. Mitt Romney: From his articulate voice-overs in campaign ads to quick-witted debate responses, this Gipper sure has the gift of the gab. “Likeability” earned merely through charm and personality, notwithstanding substance or intelligence (a term I have never understood with Dubya) is suddenly becoming clear to me. Romney’s actions may be politically tailored; his words, on the other hand, are not only spontaneous, but quite often, right on the money.

1. Mike Huckabee: If I weren’t a die-hard agnostic and professional scientist, Huckabee might have had more than a fair shot at convincing me on creationism. The man has such eloquent answers to every question you wonder if he has some kind of “CliffsNotes to presidential debates”. Or maybe it’s an Arkansas thing...

More ratings coming up....