In other presidential primary years, a candidate could get away with saying as little as possible, dancing instead of answering, but not this year.

White House wannabes are swarming the Granite State much earlier than normal. That’s because, thanks to Bush, people are paying attention and are not about to settle for the usual fence sitting or strategic triangulation.

The current administration clearly doesn’t care about the consent of the governed and as citizens, we know it’s up to us to take our country back. Say-nothing platitudes and middle of the road mush won't cut it in these times.

Clarity and straight talk (McCain got off his “Straight Talk Express” with his flip-flop and embrace of religious/political extremists) are demanded now.

We New Hampshire primary voters take our roles seriously. The candidates know this and no matter how the national parties may shuffle the primary schedule, our early votes are still crucial. Our voices may not mean a thing to Bush and Cheney, but when it comes to the presidential nomination process, our New Hampshire voices count a lot. Momentum is born here. Hence the early arrival of the swarm.

Iraq is on everybody’s mind, and ducking and dodging won’t cut it. We demand to know positions on putting a stop to the looting of our national treasury, the draining of our blood, and restoring our reputation in the world.

How and when are you going to get us out of that disaster? Blasting the president is easy, but these are the lives of our family members at stake. We've already lost too many.

Candidates may have noted the degree of success of the “politically Expedient” strategy John Kerry employed. Steered by handlers, he abandoned who he really was and said as little as possible, to avoid offending anybody. After the election, he became himself again and was a much better candidate. A little late, but that's my point. Spending a lot of energy trying to appeal to the middle only ends up with muddle. It doesn't work anymore, if in fact, it ever did. No more obfuscation; this year we expect clarification.

Certainly star quality is a factor. Given that America’s head of state is also head of government, and that more people vote for “American Idol” than for president, you’ve got to shine on TV. That’s unfortunate but true. Voters expect glitter and glam (I’m told they call it “bling” now), which seems to be working quite well for Senators Obama and Clinton, and for Mitt Romney. But notice if you will, people are demanding of them and all candidates some depth, real answers, the substance behind the gloss, which does wear off.

At every stop, citizens pepper each candidate with Iraq. This year, more than any other, if voters leave an event still not knowing the answer to that question, they’re going to keep shopping.

What works is authenticity. Not just on Iraq, but Iran, health costs, the cynically named ‘Patriot Act’ and the withering of our traditional rights, energy and the environment.

When asked, “What’s your plan?” Granite Staters this year expect an answer. Pandering and balancing on the fence don’t cut it. Most New Hampshire voters are primary voting veterans and can see through smokescreens. We’ve been through it enough times and can easily sense sincerity and authenticity.

And we know about winnability. Here’s a sure-fire losing strategy: say as little as possible, go strictly for somebody's definition of the middle. Dance away the questions. That won't win this year, either in New Hampshire
or the nation.

Then again, as the great sage Groucho Marx put it: Sincerity; if you can fake that, you’ve got it made.