SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:43 P.M. ET:

CAIN WINS FLORIDA STRAW POLL – Herman Cain was the surprise winner today in the Florida straw poll.  Cain got 37% of the vote, easily defeating Rick Perry, with 15% and Mitt Romney, with 14%.   This is a clear slap in the face to those two "frontrunners," Perry and Romney.  "Experts" had predicted that Perry would win easily, but his shaky debate performance Thursday night clearly had an impact.  We shouldn't attack too much importance to these straw polls, which don't really reflect the electorate, but the lack of power by the frontrunners has to tell us something.

INTO THE ALLEGED VACUUM – Supposedly informed sources say that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will decide in about a week whether to run for president.  It is widely felt that Rick Perry has created a vacuum at the top with his less-than-thrilling campaign thus far, giving a chance to someone else.  Christie is a darling of big-money donors and conservatives.  I have little enthusiasm for a Christie candidacy, which so many are anticipating with such great excitement.  Remember that Rick Perry was eliciting the same reaction only a month ago.  There's a reason why the term "flavor of the month" is so widely used in politics.

IT WENT TO HIS HEAD – Palestinian "President" Mahmoud Abbas was wildly applauded at the UN by the usual suspects Friday, a mixture of Islamic states, third world shadows of states, and other fellow travelers, and immediately went home to reject a proposal by the so-called "quartet" (U.S., EU, Russia, and UN) to get peace negotiations started again.  The quartet, which is trying to move the peace process forward, did not meet all of Abbas's demands.  Israel has informally accepted the quartet proposal.  The international left and trendy journalists will side with Abbas, however, no matter how rigid or ridiculous he becomes.

September 24, 2011