The issues surrounding the 2008 presidential election are numerous and complex. Many fear that the nuanced understanding needed to find effective solutions is neither understood nor appreciated by a significant portion the electorate. Others expect that anything less than simple, straightforward starting positions are a sign of inexperience, or worse, a lack of will.
If Tim Russert were still with us, I'm sure we could rely on his pithy analysis to at least give us some reference points, some way of prioritizing the issues, some framework to understand the interconnectedness of the challenges facing our nation today. Unfortunately, Tim is no longer with us, and no pundit has stepped up to fill his shoes.
The only hope we have is for one or both of the Presidential candidates to cut through the noise and give us a simple and familiar frame of reference from which we can all make an informed choice.
Fortunately, Obama and McCain have obliged us in this regard. Probably the most important step in deciding who will be the next President is to be able to articulate the issues in a way that can relate to voters' personal experience. Finally, we have a choice put in terms that we can all understand, since many of us have been struggling with this question for years:
Ginger or Mary Ann?