At First Glance

So, after a month of total information black-out in an eastern-European hideaway, I've returned to the multi-media buffet offered by cable TV, talk radio, and the internet. (Nobody actually still reads print media, do they?) I'm still overseas in a foreign country, but I'm back in the loop, and my lengthy privation of U.S. news offers a unique perspective on the political posture of American politics. In a flash, here's the situation in America at first glance:

Race is still an issue in the election, with both candidates fervently contending they are not the one talking about race. The issue remains so contentious that even the most absurd and tortured notions of racism are readily brandied about in hopes of alighting a conflagration. I should expect that anyone capable of being swayed by such obvious parodies of indignation would have long ago cast in his lot with the appropriately skin toned candidate. Hence, the accusations seem ineffectual panderings of a sort which deserve a backlash of sober disgust from the electorate.

Clinton has all but disappeared. Hillary, that is. Bill is still, well, being Bill (bringing up race all on his own, so as not to be left out of a national debate on the issue that every respectable candidate is desperately trying to avoid).

The New York Times hates John McCain. I think we can just leave it at that. Some things never change.

Obama is reeling and retracting in light of the recent surge in the polls enjoyed by McCain. A month ago, Obama was peering for the light at the end of the tunnel (he even had a presidential seal). Now the junior senator is trailing by a point in national polls and feeling the discomfort of playing defense. Obama is changing gears on off-shore drilling, fumbling on an overall energy policy and scampering to avoid a series of town-hall meeting debates with McCain.

That's just a snapshot of the political landscape from a newcomer's perspective. I would warn those who attempt to extend the present trends until November to forecast at their own risk. True, the Times will still hate McCain in November and Bill Clinton will still be groping for a spotlight. However, the exact temperament of the American voter is as yet a shifting and volatile variable. The fluid nature of recent polls illuminate one truth above all others:

The election is still up for grabs!