Did you know that the United States of America are about to have an election? It’s true. The candidates range from the maverickiest guy the world has ever seen — Arizona’s Republican senator John McCain — and a guy who Hopes America Will Change or Dreams About My Hope or thinks that, Yes, We Can Change Hope or some such. He’s the Democratic Senator of Illinois, and his name is Barack Obama.
I’m terribly sad that this campaign is coming to an end. The effervescent Alaskan Sarah Palin has been a gift, an endlessly entertaining series of goofs and endearingly nonsensical non sequiturs. We are all indebted to Senator McCain for his wisdom in providing us with light relief during a global financial meltdown. Of course — even if the Democrats do take the White House — this is far from the last we’ll see of Governor Palin; I suspect she might reverse the trend of movie stars becoming politicians (Reagan, Schwarzenegger) and begin wildly successful franchise of action/comedy flicks, the ass-kickin’ hockey mom with a cheeky wink, à la College Humor’s Head of Skate trailer.
For a final look at the contenders, you could do a lot worse than watch PBS Frontline’s intriguing documentary. It filled in a bunch of gaps in my knowledge (although, rest assured, there are no end of gaps remaining) and comes with enough additional interviews, articles, and timelines to slake the most politically-parched viewer.
