With liberty, justice, and opportunity for all

So. Last night, I skipped out on LBJ in favor of current events.

(I am working my way through the four-hour American Experience on Lyndon Johnson - fascinating stuff. But I don't have just tons o' time - certainly not a four-hour block of uninterrupted time, or even two two-hour blocks. So I watch as a I can. As with all American Experience programs, I am loving it. I feel as if I will soon be a PBExpert on all the twentieth-century presidents - based on the info I glean from two-hour documentaries, anyway. But surely it's all I really need to know, right?)

Caught a bit of the CBS News, where Katie "I Lack Gravitas" Couric continued to ask her "presidential questions." Which would be fine if the questions had any substance. But she asks about trivial nonsense: What's your favorite movie? Favorite book? When's the last time you cried? What do you want written on your tombstone?

And these help me pick a president how? I am not looking for my new best friend - I don't care what movies the like or what the prefer to do on vacation or how they met their spouse. Ask what they are going to do about real issues.

And for the record, lame answer on the book, Obama. Saying the Bible is your favorite book sounds like pandering to me. Nice also-ran with Toni Morrison, but come on, who reads the Bible for fun? That answer should not be allowed. And nice choice of For Whom the Bell Tolls by McCain - I love Hemingway, and it did seem a particularly fitting choice for McCain, and he did a nice job of explaining why.

However, I don't vote based on reading preferences - we're not forming a book club together.

I tuned in to the Obama show later, which was OK (very inspiring last five minutes). But after that, I caught a bit of John McCain on Larry King. Then I got to hear the experts analyze both the Obama show and McCain's interview on CNN. Which, frankly, is better than watching the real thing - I love to hear the experts' take on what they've seen.

I know, I'm a geek. And I'm probably one of only 2 percent of the American electorate that loves this crap.

Later, just before going to bed, I flipped the set back on and caught a few minutes of Keith Olbermann. Apparently, the newest pundit on the rounds is none other than that noted expert on, well, everything: Sam "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher. They showed a clip of him espousing his views on Israel, of all things. Get serious - what does this guy know about Israel? Can he even find it on a map?



Maybe he can he turn all this into a country song. Because, that's right, he now has an agent who is scouting out book deals and trying to get him a country recording contract.

The United States really is the land of opportunity. And crazy.