The Final Christmas Present

Well, although the actual day of Christmas is past and we have yet to have New Year's Day, this is when we Iowans look forward every four years to that final christmas present: the caucuses.

Honestly, these things are probably more watched by anyone else than they are by we who live in Iowa. I mean, being first is cool and all, but, come on, is it that big a deal? Oh, Barry surprised everyone in 2008 in the caucuses, but he surprised everyone everywhere, right Hil? And, who remembers Mike Huckabee as a serious politician (me, I still want Fred Thompson or Alan Keyes to come around, sentimentalist that I am).

This year, it stinks.

Few people have decent campaign ads. That is up this year from like almost no one. The pattern has been negative slam ads for so long that the presentation of a sincere and dedicated politician now shows up for the oxymoron that it is.

All of them are in Iowa. Them, in this case, includes every Republican and media representative conceivable plus a couple of wild cards. Local news even showed the Japanese news agency who moved a crew in a month ago for the duration. I almost never see them, which is probably just as good. The attitude on the air is mostly one of overly courteous condescension and patronization. I now know how disabled people feel when others yell at them, inferring that they are hard of hearing, and particular speak slowly using small words, again inferring that "disabled" always includes mentally challenged. {Hey, I'm disabled, but my hearing is as good as it could be after all of those Springsteen concerts and I got a 1540 combined on my SATs, for heaven's sake}.

It's kinda like Boise State feels when all the coastal conferences stick up their noses. Hey, we like it here people, and we are really pretty good at what we do. Can Diane Sawyer grow corn? Does Scott Pelley leave the evening news and cultivate his beans? David Letterman doesn't have hogs at his place in the country, does he?

So, a week from today, we will have the final Christmas present for this season. It will be that incredible vacuum toward Illinois and points east that is left as all of the politicos and pundits emigrate, en masse, to New Hampshire. That will be followed by a massive influx of quiet, fresh air.

Thanks for the present, folks.