March 4
If you live in Ohio, you are about to be assaulted by ads.

Television. Radio. Newspaper.

The primary is coming. Ohio has always been crucial to deciding national elections, and it's difficult to forsee a time when that won't be the case.

So the circus in South Carolina last week is on its way here. Bill, Hillary, Huck, Barack and Mitt are all on their way.

So is Dennis Kucinich, who has finally ended his out-of-this-world presidential candidacy. The congressman will likely be around a lot more now, trying to convince voters in Northeast Ohio that he is still working for their best interests.

You know it's getting bad for Kucinich when The Plain Dealer tells its readers they should think twice before voting for him. Naturally, that article was filled with praise, which I assume is so the hardcore Kucinich supporters don't end their subscriptions.

Kucinich supporters seem to be a fiercely loyal bunch, I'll say that for them. But hopefully they will be outnumbered.

Then again,the worst thing that may happen for conservatives is for Kucinich to lose. Then he may get a show on HBO or Comedy Central and get praised by Bruce Springsteen on a History Channel documentary hosted by Tom Brokaw.

But back to the national elections. It will be the first primary for me that meant something since 2000, when I voted for Sen. John McCain. While I can certainly see that happening again in a few weeks, I'm still undecided.

I just hope Senator Clinton and her husband find a different strategy, because it sure seemed to get ugly last week, and I'd hate to see that type of thing here.

Still, it can't be worse than celebrities descending on our state, telling us they are Buckeyes while playing the president on an NBC dramedy. Maybe this year I won't get calls from Martin Sheen and Arnold Schwarzenegger "pumping me up" to vote for their candidates.