From Slate, Christopher Hitchens on why the undemocratic Iowa caucuses are a terrible way to choose a presidential candidate; and Jeff Greenfield on where the Iowa caucuses went wrong. "I hate Iowa": The first contest in the US presidential primaries is a perversion of democracy that does not deserve to be taken seriously. Here's how our democracy's most frustrating ritual actually works: Is this really how we pick a president? Dropping out of Electoral College: Maryland is the first state to pass the National Popular Vote into law, and several others are right behind. Hold one's nose and vote for the lesser evil? Why it's wrong to "sit this one out". This is the most important election of our lifetime: The choice before Americans in November 2008 will be stark indeed.
