The recent hullabaloo over "Bittergate" seems to me indicative of exactly why we won't see good ol' Al Gore stepping into the ring. Gore's had a lot to say about the smallness of our politics. He actually sounds a lot like BarryHussein when he talks about it. But this just seems to be a perfect example of it. Seize on one inconsequential comment and blow it up to gigantic proportions.

How dare he look down on us?!

Is he an elitist?

Is he a Marxist?!

(Joe Lieberman is scum, by the way. Not that any of us needed reminding. But I'd be remiss if I didn't say it.)

And soon this will blow over. The media and various camps will try to hold onto it, just like they've done with the Wright "controversy." But it will fade in importance unless he very quickly follows it up with some equally maladroit phrasing. If Hillary wins in PA, "Bittergate" will enjoy a brief resurgence before being put to rest by an Obama victory in North Carolina. The Republicans will try to make some hay out of it in the fall, but hopefully the Obama team will have come up with a way to put the kibosh on it. He weathered the Wright storm, he'll make it through this one.

So, political future... Crystal Ballin'... what to look for? I'm gonna step out past the nomination battle. The abortion question gets raised. Repubs will say BarryHussein voted against making doctors save born-alive babies from botched abortions. We get the shots of protestors with their ugly signs. Maybe a special here or there on some one-armed kid that was the result of a botched abortion. Shots of a little blonde girl plunking away on a piano with her one arm. Et cetera. BarryHussein gives a speech on abortion in America. Balanced, reasoned. Tamps down controversy. I think this is actually the way he should approach these things. Organize rallies in response to "gaffes." Speak plainly and openly about the issues that trouble us so much as a culture. Make it simple and plain. And press the shit out of the media to cover them.

Eh. So, hubbub over abortion sometime in the fall. Of course. I'm still not afraid. I've my apprehensions and anxieties, yes, of course. But I'm not afraid. I don't think the other side realizes precisely what's going on this time around. There's the possibility of a grand realignment. Stark differences between the two candidates this time around. One for continuing the war as long as it takes. The other for ending it in a responsible manner. ("Responsible manner": look for that to be a key phrase in the Obama pitch. Talk of meetings and UN and regional responsibility.) One for expanding military spending to four percent of GDP, the other for rebuilding the American infrastructure. (I hope to GOD this is a central part of the Obama pitch. Reinvestment in infrastructure will create jobs and deliver a remarkable return on investment. If we put it right, this will sell hugely.) We'll have a clear contrast, and I think the American people will pick the side that's telling them they'll bring the troops home and give folks jobs.

More later.