We interrupt this cynicism...

American politics is in a shameful state, I'm sorry to say. We're called upon to elect a leader every four years. When I say "called upon" I mean expected by some idealist minority to get out and vote for somebody. This year, it's going to have to be the lesser of two evils, and that's a shame.

The greater of two evils is George W. Bush, aptly dubbed "Shrub" by newspaper wag Molly Ivins. My problem isn't with his right-wing politics; frankly, Al Gore doesn't exactly fit my definition of liberal, but I've always had the impression that despite being Stiff as a Board, he's not Light as a Feather.

Shrub, on the other hand, seems to have made a career out of being a lightweight. His family's money and good name has allowed him to skate through life, hardly even requiring him to speak English. He's like J. Danforth Quayle all over again, except that he admits to having been a cokehead and then says it doesn't matter.

It all makes me wonder if nothing can touch this guy. He's completely Teflon: how many people could say this, mean it, and come away clean?

"I think it's important for those of us in a position of responsibility to be firm in sharing our experiences, to understand that the babies out of wedlock is a very difficult chore for mom and baby alike. ... I believe we ought to say there is a different alternative than the culture that is proposed by people like Miss Wolf in society. ... And, you know, hopefully, condoms will work, but it hasn't worked."

Call me part of that idealist minority, but in the interest of what little is left of our national dignity, do not help to elect a president who can't string together a coherent sentence. Register; vote. Get your friends to register and vote.

It's important.

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