HuffPost puts Obama ahead of Jesus Christ

Has Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., acquired Beatle status? You’ll recall that John Lennon once famously quipped in 1966 that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus now.”

Well, judging from the “People Ranker,” a feature on the Web site HuffingtonPost.com that tracks mentions on Internet news sources and blogs, Obama could be, too — at least on Tuesday.

2008: DeLay on Hillary, Obama, McCain, Kucinich

Tom DeLay may have left politics, but that doesn’t mean he left his opinions behind.

Speaking Tuesday to a small gathering of bloggers at the Heritage Foundation, DeLay addressed questions raised by Yeas & Nays about potential 2008 presidential candidates — and he didn’t hold back.

“Barack Obama is a Marxist leftist,” DeLay said of the ascendant Illinois Democrat. “He is a dangerous man. ... He is also a smart politician.” DeLay said Americans could sour on the Illinois senator when they learn more about his record in the Illinois Senate.

“[Obama] has found the Rep. Harold Ford [D-Tenn.] way of campaigning, which they learned from Bill Clinton: Tell people what they want to hear but don’t tell them who you really are. ... Conservatives need to tell the people about this man.” DeLay added that both Obama and Ford have used “religion to soften their image on values.”

Still, DeLay predicted that Obama will end up being Sen. Hillary Clinton’s choice for vice president and, together, they’d cruise to the White House.

“Hillary Clinton will be the next president,” said the former majority leader. “She has a coalition unlike anything American has seen.” DeLay cited such individuals and groups as Harold Ickes, George Soros, James Carville, Paul Begala, MoveOn.org and Americans Coming Together as part of that coalition. “I have never seen a more powerful coalition than the one the Democrats have,” he said.

Oh, and DeLay added one more powerful group: “[The Democrats] have another coalition: It’s called the media.”

Interestingly, DeLay had relatively nice things to say about one presidential candidate whose political views drastically differ from his own: Rep. Dennis Kucinich, R-Ohio, who announced his candidacy Tuesday.

“I have a lot of respect for him,” DeLay said. “He’s a true leftist and he’s not ashamed of it. ... I don’t agree with a damn thing he says, but he’s a very nice man.”

Kucinich, one of the most liberal members of Congress, was one of the few Democrats to wish DeLay well on the House floor following the majority leader’s farewell speech in June.

On the Republican side, DeLay had little love for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. “John McCain and [Connecticut Republican Congressman] Chris Shays deserve more credit for the GOP being in the minority than anything else,” he said. Both McCain and Shays supported the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill, which DeLay said “disarmed the GOP.”

Kerry turns 63 ... with a wish

Believe it or not, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is no spring chicken. The Massachusetts Democrat turned 63 on Monday (could his windsurfing days be coming to an end?), and he celebrated the big day in Boston with a special surprise birthday lunch with wife Teresa, daughter Vanessa and brother Cam. Kerry made sure to have some triple chocolate fudge cake, his favorite. Later in the day, Kerry made his annual birthday appearance at a Boston fundraiser with longtime Kerry supporters.

A Yeas & Nays source tells us that the senior senator from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, called to wish his fellow Democrat a happy birthday, and Kerry’s staff gave their boss a singing gorilla-gram adorned with — what else? — a Red Sox hat.

But, really: What does one get a U.S. senator who has everything? When asked what he wanted, Kerry — always the Red Sox fan — merely said, “Daisuke Matsuzaka signed on the dotted line.” Matsuzaka is a Japanese pitcher whom the Red Sox are eager to acquire.

Bush clan bested by Kennedys in families list

AskMen.com, an online Web site for men, may not be “Who’s Who in the United States,” but the powerful Bush family might be sour about having been left off the Web site’s Top 10 list of American Power Families.

Barbara, George (41), George (43), Neil, Jeb and the rest of ’em can only sit back and watch as the Hiltons (yes, Paris and Nicky), Astors, Barrymores, Vanderbilts, Waltons, Coppolas, Hearsts, DuPonts and Rockefellers take their rightful place on the list.

The Kennedys, however, will be glad to know that they won’t have to sit on the sidelines with the Bushes: The Kennedys take the No. 2 spot.

More town than country for Washington couple

We hear that Pam Galloway-Tabb, vice president for the Freedom Forum and the Newseum, and her husband, Roy Tabb, a systems analyst, are set to be featured in the February issue of the uber-luxe magazine Town & Country. “We got in as one of the couples about town,” for their Valentine’s Day issue, Galloway-Tabb told us, adding that they had sent the magazine a photo.

A spokesman for the magazine did not return phone calls Tuesday.