I'm getting a bad-- a really bad-- a really, really bad feeling about the election. It's starting to have that feel of almost every election I've seen since I've been alive-- once again, a weaker Republican candidate is outmanuevering, outthinking, and outflanking the Democrat in almost every way shape or form and in the face of the attack, the Democrat seems passive at worst, utterly outclassed at best. Except in the case of this election, it's not through incompetence as much as it is as overconfidence. And, as usual, it's one of those situations where somebody not in the campaign but watching from the sidelines, like, say, me, could come up with at least five tv ads and five speeches that would do a better job defending the candidate's positions and destroying the opponent's positions better than what's being seen out there. I mean, at this point, Obama should just run an ad of McCain saying "I'm not an expert on economics" followed with clips of Phil Graham saying American's are whimps and just show it over and over and over and over again. Hell, he should just run an ad pointing out the fact that as per usual, the Republicans have absolutely no ideas about health care and don't even seem to care.

And, as usual, an election that should be bringing forth serious, substantive debates on huge, tremendous, important issues (like, say, the obviously apparent decline and fall of the American Empire) is being lost in the haze of tv ads, counter attacks, and the Unbearable Lameness of the Media. Let's look at foreign policy, for example. It's obvious McCain takes uses whatever mobility he has left in his arm, pops some viagra, and whacks off every night to the thought of fighting war upon war upon war. Yet there doesn't seem to be much in the way of concern over this. Somehow, the neo-con's haven't been totally killed off yet and it's mainly because it's much easier screaming "Russia is evil!!!!!!" on tv than saying "well, yes, but Georgia fucked up, we kind of baited Russia, and let's not get into too much of a tizzy about this." Sadly, it's hard to run on a foreign policy of "let's not lose our heads here" which is actually probably the most important component of running a foreign policy.

Which brings up the final bit. That, as usual, an American populace that tells pollster after pollster that they want certain things will completely vote against them because of various reasons. The fact that we are completely tired of war or that Russia and China is doing what they are because we're mired in too many wars would lend towards one thinking that maybe blowing shit up isn't necessarily the best policy, but darn, doesn't McCain look experienced when he's popping a vein and talking about how we're all Georgians? I'm not, btw. Sorry to say this, but fuck 'em.

And I'm not even going to get into economic matters. Suffice it to say, that if you complain about lack of work, lack of healthcare, lack of pretty much anything, and yet vote against somebody who supports all that because of, say, an insufficient love of fetuses, you kinda get what you deserve. Except that they drag me down with them.

All of which means is that I'm kind of dreading the actual election day. Because now, at least, I can still think that there's a hope. After election day, it'll be just more heartbreak, disillusionment, and the crushing knowledge that for the most part, my fellow Americans are a bunch of idiots.