I can see it already: Bill Clinton, first lady of the United States. Even more shocking would be: Hillary Clinton, nutcase wife. I mean, president of the United States.
You either hate her or you think she's nuts (or both). But you have to give credit where it's due - she's climbed the political ranks and is now a plausible candidate for the democratic ballot in the next presidential election.
If not her, then maybe Mr. Barack Obama will do. As the only African-American U.S. senator, he may very well have the opportunity to run to become the first non-white president.
But whatever your political persuasion may be, we can all agree the current administration's tenure has been tumultuous, chaotic and downright messy. Wars have begun, taxes have been shifted, abortion and genetic related issues have re-surfaced, equality has been tested, immigrants have been shunned, and the term "axis of evil" has been revived into everyday vocabulary.
If somehow you've missed what's going on in the world of politics, you have everything from talk show host Bill O'Reilly on Faux News, to traitorous newscaster Paula Zahn, now on CNN. If you prefer the radio airwaves, and assuming he isn't high off of Vicadin, Rush Limbaugh has plenty to comment on for those who lean right in your car seat.
No matter how you get your news or information, the role of politics in both the subtle and abrasive ways plays a sometimes overly important part of our existence.
In fact, the government is in my face every day. From temporarily banning my liquid cargo, to eavesdropping my oh-so-threatening late night calls to friends, to limiting when I can partake in alcohol and choosing how much money I receive to attend college, you better believe it shapes my day-to-day life.
Government, in its purest form, is the political system that runs our lives. Fortunately for us, we always have the opportunity to change things we don't like. Coincidentally, next month is the mid-term election year for our legislative houses.
In Pennsylvania we have Rick Santorum -- the definition of conservative and anti anything that isn't applicable to him. On the other hand we have Bob Casey, a pro-life Democrat who agrees with buddy George Bush on many things from minimal gun control to wire tapping conversations with mom and dad.
In other parts of the U.S. we have a Republican congressman with a fetish for young boys, we have Ann Coulter condemning an eight year old for liberal ideologies, we have gay ex-governors publishing their sexual conquests in gas stations, we have movie stars and pro-wrestlers who become governors, and we have porn "actresses" who give it a hard go in the political realm. And to think, there are two more solid years of Cheney in store for us. On a more global scale we have North Korea threatening to blow up half the earth, Iraq threatening to blow itself up and terrorists threatening to blow up everything else. With all this blowing you'd think Americans and especially college students would care more about electing our leaders.
Amidst the looming Democratic takeover of our legislative houses, these coming weeks and months will determine everything from foreign policy to whether or not I'll get bombed in Washington D.C. during my summer internship.
So go my fellow students and take pleasure in Jon Stewart and his genuine newsworthiness. Go and revel in Bush's mastery of the English (and occasionally Spanish) language. Choose who you want to make your life decisions -- for these are the times to cherish and hold true.
This is American politics at its best.
