I think Cohen's article is an excellent one, BB, and it describes powerfully the corrupt and awful spectacle of what presidential campaigns have become, what they have deteriorated into, in the USA.

If someone other than Bearded Bruce or pdq or another of the very few "official" Mudcat conservatives had posted it, it might be getting a far better hearing, I think, from Bobert and some of my other liberal pals here.

It points out accurately the utterly tawdry and exploitive way the media has siezed upon and harped on every ridiculous excuse they could find to stir up controversy and fuel people's hatred and lack of respect for other people.

It's a horrifying thing to watch this corrupted, media-manipulated-and-dominated American election process from another country, and it's hard to imagine that much good can come out of it, frankly.

I think that Richard Cohen's loathing of the election process in 2008 is fully and absolutely justified. His paraphrasing of Bob Dylan's line as "we were so much younger then" is very apt.

As I've said before...if Obama is a genuinely good man and actually intends to change things in Washington in a fundamental way...God help him. His life won't be worth a plugged nickel. If he is just another corporate-chosen tool, then expect more of the same..."politics as usual"...assuming he gets elected. And if you get McCain? Expect more of the same, only maybe even worse. And if you were to get Hillary? Expect more of the same.