Who would Obama dine with?

During a 1999 debate of Republican presidential contenders, George W. Bush famously cited Jesus when he and other candidates were asked to identify the “political philosopher or thinker” who had most influenced them. Last week, Democratic White House contender Barack Obama broached Christ in answering a different question, picking him as one of three historical figures with whom he would like to have dinner.

The query was posed to Obama by a reporter with the Conway, N.H., Daily Sun. (The candidate dropped by the newspaper’s offices while stumping in the state.) Making Obama’s cut, along with Jesus, were Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln.

He then stated the obvious: “Not a bad list.”

Obama’s newsroom visit was marked by another oddity -- the candidate was asked to autograph a refrigerator. Producing a magic marker, he complied, adding his name to those of Democrats Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd and Republican Tom Tancredo.

The Sun intends to collect as many signatures from presidential aspirants on the appliance as possible during the buildup to the state’s primary. After the vote, the fridge will be auctioned on EBay, with proceeds donated to charity.

Obama, in another stating of the obvious: “I have never signed a refrigerator before.”

The Ron Paul Express

Certain numbers keep calling attention to the phenomenon that is Ron Paul.

The most obvious one, of course, was the more than $4.2 million that his GOP presidential campaign reported raising in a single day via the Internet earlier this month. Last week, other figures stood out: He attracted a crowd of more than 1,000 people in Nevada, and a new poll showed him doubling his support in New Hampshire.

The survey of likely Republican primary voters by CNN and Manchester, N.H.-based TV station WMUR found that backing for Paul jumped from 4% in a September poll to 8% now. In July, Paul was at 2%; the geometric progression clearly is one the Paul camp wants to see continue.

Will it? The “smart” political money would bet against it. Then again, who would have predicted a few months ago that Paul would be closing in on double digits in a New Hampshire poll?

Or that Paul would be able to say, as he did last week, that he expects to exceed his 4th quarter $12-million fundraising goal?

Stocking stuffers?

No doubt with the holiday gift-giving season in mind, the New Hampshire Historical Society is offering the Neil Tillotson bobblehead. And for a mere $15.95 apiece, you can make a huge dent in your gift list.

The name doesn’t ring a bell? Well, for 40 years, from 1960 to 2000, Tillotson filled out the first ballot in the small town where the first votes are cast in New Hampshire’s presidential primaries -- Dixville Notch. (The community opens its voting booth just past midnight.)

Tillotson, we discovered, actually was a native of Vermont, but his adopted state decided not to hold that against him. And when the honor to him was unveiled earlier this year, his son told the Manchester Union Leader, “It certainly seemed a reasonable likeness, as much as a bobblehead can.”

Looking for a present with a slightly higher profile? Last week, the historical group unveiled a Franklin Pierce bobblehead. (He was the only New Hampshirite to become president, serving one pretty much disastrous term, 1853-57.)

Calendar creep

Speaking of New Hampshire, although its leading citizens act as if its special status in presidential politics ranks with freedom of speech, religion and assembly as an inalienable right, the state’s primary didn’t emerge as a big deal until 1952. And when was that contest held? March 11.

Last week, New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner designated Jan. 8 for the 2008 primary. Here’s a little perspective that underscores how elongated our presidential campaigns have become. For 20 years after New Hampshire became a key political playground, the primary remained in March. It seeped into late February in 1976 and danced around the last half of the month for two more decades before skipping ahead again:

1996: Feb. 20

2000: Feb. 1

2004: Jan. 27

Thanksgiving side dishes

Pollsters at Quinnipiac University -- well-respected professionals who apparently have too much spare time -- spent the waning days of October asking a cross-section of Americans to select the presidential contenders they would most like to break bread with on Thanksgiving.

No candidate dominated. But finishing first, chosen by 27% of the respondents, was Hillary Clinton. Close behind were Barack Obama (24%) and Rudy Giuliani (22%).

The poll’s margin of error for its total sample was plus or minus 2.4 percentage points, meaning the battle among this trio for preferred guest status was essentially a tossup.

One finding particularly heartened us: 14% of those interviewed volunteered that they wouldn’t want any of the candidates to intrude upon their holiday festivities.

Chris Dodd’s focus on Iowa -- he and his family have temporarily moved to Des Moines -- may be verging on the obsessive.

His press shop on Thanksgiving sent out a release in which Dodd listed his “ ’08 reasons to be thankful.” The first, appropriately, mentioned his family and friends. The next seven were Iowa-centric, to greater or lesser degrees.

In case it wasn’t completely clear how much the Hawkeye State has come to mean to him, here’s the final item on his list: “The simple pleasures of life -- coffee at the Ritual Cafe in Des Moines, the scenic beauty of Decorah in the fall and the Loess Hills at sunset, the stacked shelves at Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City, and the loose meat sandwiches at the Canteen in Ottumwa.”

Makes you wonder if he’s going to decide to stay after his current lease is up.

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Excerpted from The Times’ political blog, Top of the Ticket, at www.latimes.com/ topoftheticket.