Just a quickie: it’s far too soon to commit to supporting any candidate for the 2006 mayoral election here in DC. Of course, there are quite a few Democrats considering a run for this coveted – yet amazingly powerless – office, including current councilmen Adrian Fenty, Vincent Orange, Jack Evans, Councilwoman Linda Cropp, and lobbyist Michael Brown. And it’s entirely possible that Mayor Anthony Williams will run for another term, further crowding the podium.

There’s a lot of hubbub about exploratory committees and campaign finance laws (for the record: I’m against exploratory committees, as a concept, and believe that, if they continue to exist, they need to adhere to strict fundraising guidelines), and a lot of money, time and energy is being wasted at this juncture. The District is not a very large place, covering a very small territory and having a population of slightly over 500,000. It’s not difficult to figure out one’s political chances in DC, and getting a full read on the District, as a whole, is not as daunting as it is for a state like Vermont, Wyoming or Maine (all of which have similar population numbers to DC).

Basically, if you want to run for mayor, then run! There’s no need to second-guess, no need to hem and haw. As Yoda said, “do or do not – there is no try.” And running for a political office – be it mayor, ANC commissioner, or dog catcher – is an all-or-nothing proposition. The worst that can happen is that you don’t win. It’s not a life-or-death issue, it’s simply going out there and running.

So for now, I’ll stay on the sidelines. It’s too early to commit, and I have yet to be convinced to support any of the potential candidates in this far-off race.