Is That All There Is?

The endless parsing of these issues no one really cares about is conducted with a solemnity that does not disguise the boredom felt by the usual suspects as they pretend (unconvincingly) that the questions they pose to one another are new and weighty. It’s only late June and already the big campaign seems to be running on empty.

When [Obama] did an about-face and renounced his pledge to run on public money, some of the pundits said, Why, he’s just another politician. Yes, he is (and always was), and the Republicans who think to capitalize on his flip-flop are drawing the wrong conclusion.. . . [T]he Obama who is just another politician makes the contest between himself and McCain a rerun of past campaigns, when the liberal accused the conservative or being uncaring and in thrall to monied interests, and the conservative accused the liberal of being naive and insufficiently in touch with reality. The lines of battle are predictable and are unlikely to change from now to November.