Obama's NCAA Bracket: Let's Go Swing States!

As everyone from Mike Krzyzewski to Osama bin Laden is now aware, President Obama has filled out an NCAA bracket.

But this is no ordinary bracket. Beyond basketball picks and a tacit endorsement of gambling, this is really the first shot fired in the 2012 presidential campaign. (Did you honestly think it was a coincidence that Obama doesn't have University of Alaska-Wasilla winning the whole thing?)

So beginning now and continuing throughout the tournament, we will provide you updates on Obama's picks, how they're faring and what implications exist for his presidency, the 2012 election, America as a nation and democracy at large.

A few results from Thursday:

Score	Did Obama Get It Right?	Implications
Connecticut 103- Chattanooga 47	Yes	The Lieberman-Obama honeymoon is on, baby! The Corker-Obama honeymoon is on hold until the former comes around on gay marriage.
Western Kentucky 76- Illinois 72	No	This means that Obama loses his gentleman's bet with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and has to wear prosthetic jowls around Washington all next week.
North Carolina 101- Radford 58	Yes	Obama's pick to win it all prevails like a Republican in Utah.
UCLA 65- Virginia Commonwealth 64	No	This was a case of Obama favoring swing votes (greater Richmond) over the source of all his campaign money (Hollywood). Lesson from the sports world: Always take the money.