NASHUA, N.H., 1:30 p.m. — Vermin Supreme has been described by some as “obnoxious.” But, he told the News in an interview last night, this year, he had a warm reception here in New Hampshire.Speaking after John McCain’s victory speech last night, where he ascended the stage after the 71-year-old candidate disappeared, he invited the crowd to “the Wal-Mart parking lot.””It’ll be a lot of fun, all the campaign buses will be there, monster trucks, nitro-fuelled funny cars, it’s gonna be great,” he said. “I hope you’ll be there. My bus will be the one with the flames and the skulls all over it.”More after the jump.Supreme was wearing a boot on his head and banging it periodically on the podium where McCain had accepted victory so humbly moments ago. “It’s great to be here,” he said, “I’m standing at the podium where John McCain was standing! Whoo!”“I stand for mandatory tooth brushing, I stand for time-travel, and I stand for zombie preparedness,” he said to a crowd that was half-laughing, half-disgusted, but mostly just ready to go home after a grueling day.His outfit seemed to be a parody of the uniforms some veterans were wearing at the rally, but then, maybe that’s part of his eclectic style. The joke candidate has been running since 1998. For some, his humour offers a relief from the run-of-the mill politicking. “He’s great,” said Dr. Niall Palmer, a political scientist from Brunel University in England. “I haven’t got a chance to introduce my students to him, but I shall have to when I get back.”Speaking to the News after his short podium time, Supreme said the reaction in New Hampshire has been “extremely positive overall.””I think that people love me,” he said. “They understand what I’m doing.”The satire involved in Supreme’s spectacle has flummoxed many Americans and left others wondering why he bothers spending the money to run.He said most campaigns did not mind him.“Most of the campaigns have been tolerant of me; at least few have not been tolerant of me at all. My campaign, of course, does involve interaction with the actual candidates on various levels of their campaign, if they’re going to play along with my imaginary land of make-believe or not.”Some candidates did swing with it, some didn’t,” he added. “In fact, the overwhelming majority simply ignored me. But, all in all, I think it was a successful campaign. I have no idea how many votes I got, but it’s a moral victory — it’s an oral victory.”The bearded Massachusetts hopeful has become somewhat of a cult figure since he got started.“Over the week that I’ve been here, I’ve had about 20 folks who have been here and held signs and whatnot,” he explained. “Of course, my level of support is much deeper.”His weather-beaten face showed more than a glimmer of sarcasm.

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Nicolas Niarchos