November 2008 is 21 months away. The media doesn’t seem to understand what a lengthy amount of time that actually is. Why must we live as if the polls open next week? These news publications, opinion columns, and meticulous critical analyses’ of potential candidates are exhausting. Everyday the predictions change, either slightly or dramatically, depending on the national mood or accidental use of a particular word or phrase. So many factors will arise between now and then that it’s a waste of time and intelligence to continue the layered conversations the bulk up the hype. Living in the DC bubble accentuates the propaganda but I really enjoy politics and still think this is overkill.

I check my favorite sites daily, eavesdrop on my favorite columnists, glance at a sprinkling of news pages, and pop in for an earful of TV reports. What do I get? Another dozen opinion columns and talk shows about Hillary, Obama, McCain, Guiliani, Romney, Edwards, and others trying to get in on the glory. I enjoyed the days when the boards, papers, and newscasts covered more than one topic. Pause for an in-depth, inside look at Anna Nicole Smith, and its back to the presidential forecast in the impossibly far away future. But how do you reign in the haranguing scrutiny? The painstaking criticism with which the media pulps candidates to their public deaths is out of control. I’m no Joe Biden fan, but COME ON. God forbid anyone be politically incorrect.

It’s sadly unfunny that comments like Biden’s garner hours of coverage while Barack Obama’s first book illustrates him as harboring extreme bitterness towards white people. Where are the passages highlighted from that book? I certainly don’t want that kind of attitude as the head of my country. If he was white, or conservative, and had such questionable material published, it would be everywhere. Why are black people exempt from criticism in regards to racial sensitivity? Barack’s wife Michelle made the ignorant comment that, “as a black man, Barack can get shot going to the gas station.” Huh? Haven’t heard much about that one on the news. I guess white men can’t get shot going to the gas station. In the rush to attain the black President milestone, is the public overlooking the critical details behind that charismatic smile? Someday there will be a black President, but neglecting key issues in order to fulfill that prophecy is foolish.

I see headlines, stories, and editorials that demoralize America, our troops, our foundation, and our hope. CNN usually plays in front of me at the gym on the treadmill. I don’t wear headphones but I usually read the screen, which blares death tolls, exacerbated suffering, stories promoting the negative. Reality should not be excused but an effort to accentuate positive aspects is vital in this struggle for a success. Just like celebrated self-help books direct one’s personal life, such advice should be adopted for our national identity. Think positive. Attitude is everything. Believe in yourself. Have confidence. Overcome adversity. Reach for the stars. These are the principles we want to instill in our children, in our students, in ourselves. Why are we not employing them as a nation?

It’s too bad some of our national leaders are wasting our breath and our thoughts, in a time of war no less, on petty demands. Nancy Pelosi’s airplane issue, then turned gender discrimination, was disgraceful and classless. She’s already rich and we have to call her freakin’ madame, isn’t that enough? To cry gender bias in this case was just about as tacky and baseless as you can get. Thanks to her, editorial print and opinion space was wasted on that airplane debacle. With the first wave of opposition, she should have dropped it and moved on. She showed her true colors but then again, some of us already knew what those looked like.

Adding to the recent irritation in politico world, I can’t NOT mention the Democratic National Convention, which featured a Hezbollah-supporting Iman for an opening prayer. Top Democrats defended this decision all over the place but when the Iman was interviewed on Hannity and Colmes, he was a bad liar whose only defense was to act confused in response to simple yes and no questions, like, Is Hezbollah a terrorist organization? They never got that one out of him. Leave it to the Democrats to let “tolerance” and “diversity” topple common sense and decency.