KEEP THE GLOVES ON For those in the mediocre media who think that voter dissatisfaction with presidential candidates who make personal attacks, spread vicious lies, or run negative ads is worthy of coverage, they might do well to remember that this conduct is part of our history and our culture, and it’s perfectly legal. “It’s the cover-up, stupid.” , that will get you in trouble. Unlike other countries where opponents are jailed or killed, our campaigning process, while not lily-white, is essentially equally fair. It does not require that the “kids in the sandbox play nice-nice”. Keep the gloves on; let’em go at it. I want to see the real candidate, not somebody spouting lines from a script. I want candidates to expose each others weaknesses, flaws, mistakes, and, yes, even sins. The office has too much power to turn it over to someone with a Madison Avenue persona or an unsavory past. I want to know if a lovable cowboy has any depth, or if an egghead has any soul. I want someone with as much judgment and wisdom as experience…. And they aren’t the same thing. As long as nobody gets harmed or incarcerated, negativity should not be a factor any more than race, gender, religion, or age should. Let’s not judge them by what they are, but by who they are. One final thought, I once took a tour of the Capital Building in DC. The guide told us that in the country’s formative years Congress met in the Rotunda, with Federalists on one side and Democratic Republicans on the other. As pending legislation was debated, the parties would caucus from time to time. One of our founding fathers discovered an acoustical fault in the dome that amplified even a soft whisper. He and his party placed their chairs at that location and never let on that they were bugging their opponents' discussions. And now you know the rrrrrest of the story!