Should we laugh or cry?

The situation in Washington, is it high drama or music hall comedy? Is it time to scrap this entire form of government and adopt a parliamentary system? Could it be any worse?
I can't help think back to the weeks leading up to the 1952 presidential election when all the talk was about "the mess in Washington." We were naive enough to believe there was one. Now we know better, having found out what a real, genuine, top-of-the-line mess truly is.
The amazing thing to me is that I almost - not quite, but almost - found myself feeling sorry for George W. Bush. He calls the presidential candidates to Washington, summons the top men and women of both parties and his administration and has them gather around a huge table so that together they can announce a bi-partisan agreement to do something, almost anything at all, about the financial crisis that has doomed us all to abject poverty.
Harmony reigns throughout the inevitable photo op and even for a few minutes after that. Then all hell breaks loose. They begin shouting at each other, calling each other vile names, hurling spitballs and crying, "My dad can beat up your dad!"
Poor George. One more chapter to add to his cherished legacy.
Then, just to put a capper on it all, the McCain campaign announces that it is all Obama's fault. He was the guy sitting at the far end of the table, the one who opened his mouth a single time.
Even David Letterman has gotten in on the act. McCain cancelled an appearance on his show at the last minute, creating havoc. Letterman was willing to forgive and forget until McCain immediately showed up on another program. Letterman will never let him forget this betrayal. Keith Olberman is having the time of his life. Wolf Blitzer is wetting his pants from the sheer excitement of it all.
The truly mind-boggling thing about all of this is that there actually are numerous intelligent men and women in Congress. Will they ever start acting like it? Of course they will, when those notorious pigs with lipsticks begin flying around the capitol dome.

There is always a positive with all the negative.
As I see it, they will spend so much money that they can't afford another invasion.

Funny as this may seem...we canucks are having a federal election at the same time as the US. The big concern this week had something to do with nobody watching the Canadian news because they are so involved in the debates and drama involved in the US election. Some of the folks that I work with know a lot about the antics of the democrats and republicans, but do not know who their own candidates are. I think we're having an identity crisis around here!

Tell them to try comparing their opponents to Paris Hilton.

Paris who?

Well, Dick, the bottom line is that if we stopped watching this tripe on TV, it would stop being there. We get what the ratings show that we want. (Pretty much like the Presidential race itself.)

Meanwhile, I like your description of the games and counter-games.

Malcolm

P.S. That's an odd paradox, Pam. For years, we've read in the U.S. that Canadians resent the real or imagined dominance on the continent by the U.S.--from new books to new politics. Then, when I was recently in Calgary, a surprisingly high percentage of the TV and print news focused on what was happening in the U.S. Meanwhile, local and provincial issues were given scant time and space. Weird.