DNC Strips Florida Of 2008 Delegates

"Yeah, this is emotional for me, and it should be," she said. Asked whether she thought Florida had been treated fairly, she said, "We'll see in 30 days."

Both political parties have struggled over the years to determine how best to nominate their presidential candidates.

Iowa and New Hampshire have dominated that process since the late 1960s, in part by arguing that their relatively small size allows candidates to have more personal contact with voters. But in recent years, larger states and those with more ethnic diversity have argued that they should be at the front of the process, too. This year, those pressures have pushed presidential voting earlier than ever.

"I think this whole system is goofy. It's all out of kilter," Ickes said. "I think we start way too early."

Alice Germond, a West Virginia member of the DNC, said that "the process is still a mess."

The national parties face the prospect of further confrontations: South Carolina Republicans have moved their primary to Jan. 19, a decision that may force New Hampshire and Iowa to vote earlier in January. And Michigan's legislature is on the verge of approving a Jan. 15 date -- a move that would violate the same Democratic rule that Florida faces punishment for breaking.

The Michigan Republican State Committee voted yesterday to endorse the new date.

"Moving up the primary will make Michigan the first major industrial state to hold a presidential primary and will give our voters a chance to educate the next president of the United States about Michigan and its specific issues," state GOP Chairman Saulius "Saul" Anuzis said in a statement.