During one of his debates with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama stated that at some point during every election year "silly season" begins. I've decided, for my own personal amusement and because some of these are just too obvious to be left unremarked upon and not pointed out, to compile a brief list of how you can recognize when "silly season" has begun.



You know Silly Season has begun when....... 1. The "Marriage Protection Amendment" is back in the news again. Here's President Bush talking about it on June 5th, 2006.. Ironically, I heard nothing about it in the year and a half following the 2006 elections. It's like the issue doesn't really matter to Republicans unless it's an election season and they can try and use it to try and get evangelicals to come out and vote for them.

Lo and behold, here's the issue being brought back, this last week. I'm sure the timing is a coincidence. I'm also quite positive that moral pillars like Larry Craig and David Vitter being among the bill's chief sponsors is hilarious. 2. Grover Norquist tastefully describes Barack Obama as John Kerry with a tan. Score one for racial sensitivity! The biggest news organization in the country refers to Obama's wife as, quote, his "baby mama". Score two for racial sensitivity. And, a fist pound for good luck between a husband and his wife is referred to as a, quote, "terrorist fist jab". Score three. 3. Politicians actively campaign against a particular bill and then try and take credit for it when it passes anyway. 4. Politicians spend millions of dollars that they don't have (always a good signal of their ability to manage the largest economy in the world) on negative attack ads against the opponent, and then ask their opponent to pay them back when they lose in return for their support. Hard to see how a couple with an estimated net worth in excess of $100 million dollars can ask people to help pay back their loans to themselves. Score one for chutzpah!

5. Hideously immoral and evil issues go unreported because there's another missing white girl who needs breathless 24 hours a day coverage. 6. The most important issue presently facing my country will receive two minutes of coverage per WEEK in the news over the course of the year to date. It's a good thing we don't have 150,000 troops in Iraq right now or else that might be a travesty. (How many missing girls are there to focus on? Sheesh...) 7. Budget crises will take a backseat to governors being caught in oh so tender moments with former Playboy bunnies while they're in the middle of going through a divorce. (Three cheers for the party of moral values!) 8. A man who claims to personally exorcise demons will be mentioned as a top-tier VP candidate. (I'm just wondering how that would look on a job resume. What job that you submit a resume for would you list "exorcist" as being among your qualifications?) If you're a superhero who can battle demons, shouldn't you be wearing funny tights and driving souped up cars around instead of sitting behind a desk all day? 9. Liberals will begin attacking each other. Seriously, it just wouldn't be the Democratic party that I know and love if we weren't busy eating our own young during election season instead of focusing on the Republicans. Ignore what I said yesterday about wagering on Obama to be the next president. We should never underestimate the ability of Democrats to snatch defeat from the gaping jaws of victory. 10. Democrats will cave in to a President with a job approval rating hovering around 25% because they don't want to look...weak. Once again, it wouldn't be the Democratic party if it didn't apply the bizzarro world thinking that the best way to look strong on national security issues is to back down from a weakened president and give the minority party 98% of what it wants. Despite my own political inclinations on the issues, I tried to bash both sides more or less equally but highly doubt that I was successful. Still, considering all of this was in the news in the last two days alone this is what military folks like to call a target rich environment.