During the debate, I keep finding myself saddened and disappointed at this moment. How is it that, at such an important time in our history -- when our military warriors are engaged in two open-ended conflicts, when our economy has just experienced the bursting of an $8 trillion housing bubble, when the leadership of our current President mixture has been an odd mixture of incompetence and negligence and decisiveness, when our international relations are strained and our moral authority in the world corroded, when impressive leadership is so sorely needed -- how is that our politics is so... small.
I mean, it's really become a battle between two mindless marketing campaigns. Biden reads his part of the script. Palin reads hers. Ifill tosses up a predictable softball. No follow-ups. No authentic exchange. No actual debate. Talking points. On message. Cliche. Talking points. Cliche. It's like a contest to see who can talk the longest without actually saying anything.
Is it just me, or do they sound like 4th graders arguing over who should get the last cookie. First reciting all the times they've earned gold stars. And then reminding us about that time the other one did something bad. "You taddle-tale!" And constantly looking for every opportunity to tease and needle the other. "It may be true that I made a boo-boo, but your boo-boo is much worse: it is doo-doo." Are we children?
No, we're all adults here. Start acting like it.
