Suiting up...

It's time to tune in. One of these people will be our next leader. Which one? Hmmm...

One thing that's not going to win me over: Candidates who change their voice to "fit" their local venue. Obama, for example, was blacking it up so shamelessly at a New Orleans church the other day, I thought he was going to break into "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah." Hilary has a suthen twang that comes and goes the minute she crosses the Mason Dixon line. The Republicans seem less apt to pull a voice change, though I've heard notes of The 700 Club in Mitt Romney's oration.

My worst fear going into '08 is that Bush has changed the office forever with his go-for-broke super-agenda. He's like a cat that's sprayed in every corner of the American experience. The next president will necessarily have to spend valuable time spraying in every corner too, just to get rid of Bush's stink. The new president's agenda starts with a retread. That effort will not only distract attention from new and forgotten issues, but in covering Bush's tracks, the temptation could also be great to assume those very powers he abused.