21.   Call it a quirk of a nominating process in which small states such as Iowa and New Hampshire wield a lot of clout.

22.   Candidates have no choice but to gear up early because the nominating process will be over faster than in the past.

23.   Clinton, with his strong defense of affirmative action Wednesday, similarly aimed to shore up his standing with blacks and other liberals who control the Democratic nominating process.

24.   Critics tore into the nominating process that failed to recognize what they considered some of the best movies of recent years.

25.   Critics of front-loading the nominating process say the McAuliffe proposal would do more than jam up the start of the process worse than ever.

26.   Democratic rules now allow only Iowa and New Hampshire to hold binding bits of the nominating process before the first Tuesday in March.

27.   Ever since primaries became the core of the nominating process, states have been scheduling them earlier and earlier.

28.   Five thousand members vote in the nominating process, and there is always controversy.

29.   For the most part, the nominating process went smoothly for McCain and his aides, whose preferred slate remained mostly intact.

30.   For years, California has been the overgrown stepchild of the nominating process, the most populous state whose primary fell too late to matter, usually in June.