They're all fakes.
ok, since i've started, i might as well continue....this is a rant, so ignore it if you wish.

I am constantly amazed at american politics....amazed occasionally, envious occasionally, and occasionally extremely, extremely cynical. ok, usually extremely, extremely cynical. there is such a liveliness to american politics, i love the contstant debate, the constant bill passing and discussing and vetoing and protesting....that is what keeps the important issues from simply being buried, that is what allows the populace, if they care to get involved, to have a voice. Here (in canada) I often feel that nothing will or can ever change, as it is incredibly difficult for private members bills to pass (or even get a hearing) and the majority of members aren't allowed to vote their conscience anyway.

But despite the lively debate and passion in the american system, it seems that every election year there is more concern that nobody tip the boat than there is anything else. The candidates all put on their straightjackets and choose their carefully measured and weighed partners in rhetoric, tour the country with tailored speeches and quotable sound bites, fitting their "strongly held personal beliefs" (yeah whatever) to the current audience, trying to be everything to everybody....while simoutaneously pouring tons of money (from where? at what price gained?) into subtle smear campaigns designed to be broadly accepted as damning truth. this negative campagning, unfortunatly, works as well, and along the same lines, as a gossip campaign in a student council campaign. it need not be true, and it must never be spoken where it may be refuted, but whispered in hallways and sent in mass e-mail chains to....where it lodges and festers in the minds of many, and woe to the campaign that tries to rise above it, because they've lost. Its all hateful. And it is not democracy, not when the majority does not vote, and those who do, will not vote for who they truly want.
'nuff said.