Second Verse Same As The First

Never before have so few, said so much, about so little ... making it time -- finally -- to say good-by to the lipstick on a pig non-issue, issue.

Let's call it what it really is ... a trick that backfired on the Democrats, and a strategy the Republicans have played as well as Yo-Yo Ma plays his cello.

Since Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama got this whole ordeal started, it has been like running on a treadmill ... running over and over and over without a change of scenery.

Tuesday Obama took a shot at his Republican opponents Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin. "You can put lipstick on a pig ... it's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still going to stink after eight years," Obama said in Virginia.

Obama claims his remarks were not aimed at Palin who -- in her acceptance speech for vice president -- ad libbed a line in which she claimed the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick. How about he take a lie detector test on that tricky claim?

Well, Obama's remarks brought about a swift scream of foul from McCain's campaign. The strategy for McCain's camp has been to keep the outrage going. Tuesday afternoon it was outrage over the remark. Wednesday it was outrage that Obama tried to deny the remark. Thursday it's remarks about how Obama is still taking shots in the dark over the comment ... this time for claiming McCain's people are trying to derail his campaign.

Somebody needs to tell Obama he's right ... McCain's folks are trying to keep Obama off track, and are succeeding. If he wants it to stop ... he needs to put on the brakes. He needs to quit his whining and get back on track. McCain needs to quit his whining, and quit running to the principal.

Both Obama and McCain are seeking the highest office in this country ... and owe it to the American people to talk about the real issues. Those issues are not lipstick on pigs, are not the ever-changing definition of the word "change," and not who is taking jabs at whom.

McCain, Obama, Palin, and Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden owe it to the American people to talk about what really matters. They need to talk about the two wars presently being fought on far-away lands. They need to talk about healthcare, education, social security, dependence on foreign oil, and clean energy.

These four people, who are asking for the trust of the American people, need to earn that trust ... and they have just 54 days in which to accomplish that goal.

" ... or so this news junkie thinks!"