Not to beat a dead horse, but the so-called Democratic convention was over before it began for two reasons: Florida and Michigan. After Sen. Hillary Clinton won both contests, Sen. Barack Obama fought hard to disenfranchise voters in the Sunshine and Wolverine states.

At age 54, I am officially from the old school, and, thus, prone to generational pet peeves. For one thing, I don’t like long hair on today’s athletes. There is nothing less professional and less team oriented, than seeing long stringy hair or dreadlocks flowing from ‘neath a football helmet.

If you loved how our goof-off President George Bush delayed sending help to victims of Hurricane Katrina, you’ll really like his sequel. It’s called How I Left the Georgian Republic Stranded and Helped to Re-start the Cold War in the Process.

“Who so ever is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” It is an appropriate phrase to recall as we examine the recent implosion of John Edwards and his political career. And yet, Edwards wasn’t just any man caught in an illicit affair. He is a very public figure who, as Dana Milbank of the Washington Post put it, “campaigned about the two Americas he had seen, and now America has seen that there are two John Edwardses.”

A few weeks ago I happened onto a TV show titled “Airline” on the Bravo channel. It is not a typical reality series. No one auditions. No one wins a recording contract and a trip to Hollywood. No one is forced to eat bugs or live with strangers in a strange place filled with hidden cameras (well, I might be wrong about that). And though “Airline” is clearly a promotional vehicle for Southwest Airlines, the series remains an unrehearsed looking glass into our society.

It is sadly ironic that while everyone from Congress to local credit counselors are trying to make home ownership more affordable for individuals, we as a nation are forfeiting ownership of our collective home. That’s because day by day, foreign interests are buying up our real estate, corporations and landmarks.

We’ve endured a lot under George Bush. First it was the stolen election of 2000. Then came the illegal invasion of Iraq. Next was denial of global warming and obstructing development of alternate sources of energy. That was followed by leaving thousands of poor people stranded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the outing of a CIA operative.

Last week, the Rev. Jesse Jackson whispered into what he thought was a dead microphone, and said he'd like to cut off Barack Obama's nuts. But an astute, eavesdropping audio technician lifted the gaffe and had it broadcast around the globe. Appropriately, last week the Senate voted on a bill to allow wiretaps without warrants.

Recently the airwaves have been replete with pundits and economists debating whether we are in a recession. Even worse, some of those same soothsayers are starting to drop the "D" word. Suddenly FDR's New Deal is relevant again, and the Great Depression is more than just a.

I detest disclaimers, but for those of you who have never read one of my columns or watched my TV show, be advised: I am not a Republican or a Democrat.