Ponder this. Provided that John McCain doesn't choose Liddy Dole to close the gender gap, or Bob Dole to the Arizona senator's relative youth, or Jeb Bush to get one of his political lackeys to fix Florida (I keed! I keed!), this will be the first presidential election in my lifetime that a Bush or a Dole is not on the Republican ticket. Ford/Dole '76, Reagan/Bush '80, Reagan/Bush '84, Bush/Quayle '92, Dole/Kemp '96, Bush/Cheney '00, Bush/Cheney '04--forgive everyone under the age of 40 for thinking that the Republican platform required a Bush or a Dole on the presidential ticket. Don't forgive them for thinking it a "Reagan" party.

I'm in the middle of "The Age of Reagan". Would highly recommend it. If you look back over the last 40 years or so, it's amazing how politically incestuous both Parties are but particularly the Republican Party.

add Nixon to the list and it'll be the first election since '48 without those three, except '64.

In 60 years only one election hasn't had a Bush/Dole/Nixon on the ticket: Goldwater.

Pretty ridiculous.