"Mathematically impossible" has become a phrase those who’ve watched coverage of the Mike Huckabee presidential campaign have heard ad nauseum. I become very wary of overused phrases, because they sound very much like talking points rather than facts.

Mathematically impossible is one of those talking point phrases that is inaccurate. It is mathematically impossible for Huckabee to win the nomination outright through the number of delegates won at upcoming primaries and caucuses. It is not mathematically impossible for him to win the nomination. In order to secure the nomination a candidate needs 1191 delegates. In order to be assured of the nomination before the convention, a candidate must have 1191 pledged delegates. A pledged delegate is bound to support the candidate they are pledged to no matter what. Low poll numbers in the general election, substantive allegations of felonious acts, or acting like Tom Cruise on Oprah Winfrey will not deny a candidate the votes of his pledged delegates on the first ballot.

On the other hand, unpledged delegates can vote for whomever they want on the convention floor. Many news organizations, in a rush to seal the deal for their long-time media darling, have called unpledged delegates to see how they would vote and find many saying they’d support McCain.

Of course, the problem here is the convention is not being held today or a week from now. Rather the convention is an event that is six months in the future. Six months is an eternity in politics. Six months ago, Rudy Giuliani was the frontrunner. Political careers can be destroyed in weeks. Therefore to assume the thoughts of pledged delegates right now will be their thoughts six months from now assumes far too much in our fluid political world.

Only when a candidate has 1191 delegates pledged (and McCain only has 874). can we say he is the nominee. Until that occurs, it is mathematically possible for someone else to be the winner.

The term mathematically impossible is incredibly inaccurate. As every baseball fan knows, math gives hope to every improbable cause. Even the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were not mathematically eliminated from baseball’s playoff race until Mid-September of last season.

Unfortunately, one has to admit the term has been largely successful in achieving its goals, as many conservatives have surrendered in the fight against John McCain, acceding to a nominee that we cannot stand and tolerate. Many have, instead, found their purpose as unethical saboteurs of the Democratic Party process crossing over to defeat Hillary or Obama, depending on their strategic view.

In the end, this election has been a lesson in how the media can manipulate elections and create news, with phrases repeated often and long enough. News anchors and stories chattering on about impossibilities and candidates having “no chance” as a matter of fact, not a matter of opinion or analysis, have created a perception that doesn’t match fact. But the constant, incessant buzz is taking a toll and creating the reality it alleges.

We’ve also learned that just become someone labels a news organization “conservative” doesn’t mean it will provide reliable information on the presidential election. And alas, blogs, for which so many people have so much hope, are only as good as their biases and sources allow them to be.

For whatever reason, be it John McCain’s Washington Insider status v. Huckabee as the man from Arkansas, a fear of losing to Obama or Hillary should the primary campaign go on one minute longer, conservative media has been just as likely to play the game as the liberal press, only with more passion. The same people who were telling us a few weeks ago that Mike Huckabee was only staying in this race to help John McCain, are now complaining about Mike Huckabee hurting John McCain by continuing in this race.

Perhaps it was because outlets such as National Review are greatly responsible for the McCain ascendancy. Conservative media, including yours truly, spent a great part of December providing a contextless attack on the record of Mike Huckabee, while ignoring the rise of John McCain in New Hampshire, thus giving him an effective free pass.

Much to their annoyance, Huckabee not only survived these attacks, but won eight states’ contests. I assumed that Huckabee was obviously running to be John McCain’s VP, and found egg on my face as he continued on. I was also guilty of attacking the unconservative portions of his record and platform in my writing and ignoring the positive parts. I was man enough to own up to my errors and admit that I’d goofed They weren’t.

These errors in perception created by conservative media hounds are huge. A man who favors restoring America’s military to the same percentage of GDP that it was at under Ronald Reagan is thought by many to be as weak on national defense as Jimmy Carter.