Denouement

At long last, the 2008 general election will be decided tomorrow...just in time for the 2012 campaigns to kick off. I, for one, am happy it's over. Despite definitely voting for Obama, I am not convinced a McCain presidency would be a "kiss of death, unless he kicks the bucket and, God forbid, Sarah Palin is President.

No, I think McCain is so desperate to win this thing that he'll say anything and kiss any butt that he think will make it for him. If he's to win, I think once he gets in office he will disown the southern-fried moralists (Thank you, Economist) he's been courting since becoming the GOP nominee. Conversely, I don't think Obama is going to be the Black-Nationalist-Socialist all the hystericals think he's going to be. The fact of the matter is whoever inherits the White House is not going to have time to play ideological politics because they are going to be charged with cleaning up KooKoo Bananahead's incompetence.

What a contrast it is from the 2000 election. Our biggest problem was that we had too much of a surplus. I think if someone from 2000 walked into a time warp and emerged in 2008, their head would probably explode: they wouldn't be able to cognitively process who much this country's situation has deteriorated. Two wars? The World Trade Center and the Pentagon had planes flown into them? Gas is $4 per gallon? What's a "credit default swap? We are in a very bad place and whoever wins is either going to be a national hero, forever endeared in the annals of American history, or a miserable failure that would make Jimmy Carter look like a decisive leader.

I have said it repeatedly, but I think we need someone who is going to challenge us; a sort of "national personal trainer". As a society, we are out of shape in every way possible and we need to recapture some of our old spirit. I think the person to do this is Barack Obama; you might think differently. Either way, go vote; it will make you feel big and strong. (Thanks, Bob Schieffer)