I had so much fun at last week’s picnic, I thought I’d have another. But this time I’m using a different rule when deciding whom to invite. You may find this one a bit more challenging than last week’s rule, but all of the invited guests do have something in common:

• I’m inviting MARY SHELLEY, but not PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY.
• I’m inviting GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, but not OSCAR WILDE.
• I’m inviting QUEEN ELIZABETH II, but not QUEEN ELIZABETH I.
• I’m inviting MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., but not MALCOLM X.
• I’m inviting TOM CRUISE, but not DUSTIN HOFFMAN.
• I’m inviting MADONNA, but not JEWEL.
• I’m inviting COURTENEY COX ARQUETTE, but not JENNIFER ANISTON.
• I’m inviting BARACK OBAMA, but not HILLARY CLINTON.
• I’m inviting GEORGE W. BUSH & DICK CHENEY as well as BILL CLINTON & AL GORE, but not RONALD REAGAN & GEORGE H.W. BUSH.

I thought it might be fun to do some Shakespeare readings at the picnic, but only plays named for people who fit the same rule:

• We will be reading JULIUS CAESAR, but not MACBETH.
• We will be reading ANTONY & CLEOPATRA, but not KING JOHN.
• We will be reading KING HENRY VIII, but neither KING HENRY IV play.
• We will be reading KING RICHARD III, but not KING RICHARD II.

Have you figured out the rule? If so, please don’t post it. Just post one or two additions to the list to show us you got it, and to give an extra hint to later solvers.

UPDATE: The solution is now posted in the comments.

Answer: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rudy Guiliani, John McCain, and Barack Obama.

Question: Who are four people who are not going to be elected president in 2008?

Ignore the polls. At this early stage, the name recognition factor is always going to skew the results. As new faces emerge and old stalwarts define themselves anew, you’re going to be hearing a lot more names than just those four.

Note: The prediction above does not pertain to party nominations, vice-presidential selections, or future presidential elections. Nor does it predict who is going to be elected president. Right now, a Biden vs. Romney contest seems not entirely out of the question. Pataki had an unusually prominent spot in the 2004 Republican Convention, which is usually a tell. And Gore, if he decides to run, will likely be the automatic front runner among Democrats who are still sore from the 2000 election, and would be helped in the general election by swing voters with buyer’s remorse. Plus, he’s a movie star now, and we all know how helpful that can be.

But my whole point is that it’s way too early for this kind of speculation. All I can tell you right now is that none of the first four people I mentioned will be our next president. That’s my prediction, and I’m putting it in the blog.

I’ll also add a new category “Predictions” so if this blog lasts longer than next Wednesday, we can track my predictions and see how I’m doing.