Oh, dear -- we may not be blessed with Ralphie's presence in '08:

Nader, in local visit, scoffs at political machine but won't commit to running again

RHINEBECK [N.Y.] - Consumer advocate, political activist, lawyer and four-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader continues to rage against the political machine, but he isn't sure if he'll run for president again in 2008.

"It's too early," Nader, 73, said to about 160 people on Saturday after a sold-out screening of the documentary "An Unreasonable Man" at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck. "You need thousands of volunteers to answer that question."

Oh, what a crock. He just thinks Obama might beat Hillary for the nomination. Good '60s guy that he is, he's probably got too much white guilt to screw things up for a black man, even if the black man is an (ick!) Democrat. Ah, but if Obama fades and Hillary rises, he'll be there, you betcha.

[UPDATE: Yeah, maybe that doesn't make sense -- he probably sees Obama as yet another money-mad corporatist Democrat (see the link). I do think, though, that his decision will be based almost exclusively on his feelings about the Democratic nominee. On second thought, I'm guessing he's planning to stay out if Edwards (lawyer, populist) gets the nod.]

...NADER CALLED Bush "a runaway president" and the war in Iraq "a horrendous tragedy."

"He sent us to war on false pretenses," Nader said....

No! Really? You don't say, Ralph! Nice to have you around to bring us this newsflash.

...He said the country "grossly underestimated the impact of electronic gizmos," which he believes have caused a "paralysis" of participation and activism in America.

"That was a huge miss," he said. "We should have paid more attention." ...

Er, dude? If it weren't for YouTube and the "macaca" video, there'd be a GOP Senate right now. And, er, what technology put Reagan and a GOP Senate in power in 1980? The Betamax?