Now that the political timeout is over from 9/11, we’re back to politics full time.  We’ll go to the polls in just over 7 weeks and so far, there’s been no real discussion of the issues.  So far we’re still fixated on the flashing object.  In other words, the Republicans are winning the campaign.

They told us their plan.  John McCain’s campaign manager said this election would be about personalities, not issues.  The issues make the Republicans look bad.  We’re fighting war which still costs us $10 billion a month, no matter how few Americans are currently dying over there.  The war in Afghanistan, which our president ignored, is now burning almost beyond control.  The president’s current budget projects a half trillion dollar debt, added to the $10 trillion we already owe to China, Japan and other nations.  We’re the world’s biggest borrower and the interest alone is killing us.  Last summer we got a bill of $200 billion to repair our crumbling infrastructure, including bridges, roads, water lines, not to mention a dangerously outdated electric grid.  Our manufacturing base is gone and our technological skills are threatened by lower prices from abroad.  These are just some of many genuine problems, but what were we talking about 48 hours ago?  Lipstick.

This is a play on our national stupidity.  It went like this.  Barack Obama was talking about John McCain’s positions in a speech and repeated the oft-used line that if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.  Immediately the McCain camp pounced.  They claimed that Obama was in essence calling Sarah Palin a pig.  They came to that conclusion because in her acceptance speech, Palin had mentioned that the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull was lipstick.  Lipstick from Palin connects to lipstick on Obama’s pig, they cried.  For nearly two days people from all sides either pressed the attack or defended the comment.  Obama’s defenders even brought up the obvious, that McCain’s own former press secretary had written a book titled “Lipstick on a Pig.”  It didn’t matter.  The deed was done, the damage done.  Another day was gone.  We were distracted by the shiny object and once again lost what should be an important national focus.  Every day we do this is a good day for the Republicans.  They’re counting on us to be stupid and easily distracted.  So far, so good.