I didn't realize Google hit counts were so volatile. Or perhaps there's a growing realization that this crop of candidates aren't as authentic as they could be.
Google hit counts (gathered today), in descending order, plus the hit count change from yesterday:
| Query String | Hit Count | Change |
|---|---|---|
| "John Edwards" phony | 419,000 | +130,000 |
| "Hillary Clinton" phony | 376,000 | +30,000 |
| "John McCain" phony | 281,000 | +14,000 |
| "Barack Obama" phony | 260,000 | +28,000 |
| "Ron Paul" phony | 240,000 | +27,000 |
| "Mitt Romney" phony | 211,000 | +19,000 |
| "Fred Thompson" phony | 189,000 | +14,000 |
| "Rudy Giuliani" phony | 163,000 | +19,000 |
| "Dennis Kucinich" phony | 116,000 | +5,000 |
| "Dave Burge" phony | 49 | -3 |
I hope you're as fascinated by this as I am. In a single day, Edwards has leapfrogged Clinton to take a solid lead. There are no other changes in overall rankings, but Obama and Paul are gaining on McCain, and that third place spot looks shaky for him.
Meanwhile, Dave Burge has managed to drop his minuscule number even further.
![[The Blogger and His Dog]](/ps/images/me_with_barney.jpg)
