The TV writers have been on strike, but I haven't missed them. That's because the most compelling reality show ever is playing itself out in a long-running series. It's called "Presidential Primaries" where in American elections an 
African-American has pulled ahead of a crown princess and a war hero has risen from the dead to beat the rich, famous, and evangelistic.
When I was a boy, I read Convention by Knebel and Bailey and The 480 by Eugene Burdick, both about presidential contests. Although I almost always prefer the written word to what I see on the screen, the current, ongoing reality show surpasses even my memories (from an impressionable age) of those two books in drama, pathos, arrogance, earnestness, and human failings.
Several years ago, NBC used the slogan "must see TV." Now watching CNN on primary and caucus Tuesday nights is must see for me. I cannot wait till March 4 for the probable climax of the show.
I wonder if the sequel, called "General Election" and coming this fall, will be as compelling.
Keith,
Guess who's going to the Republican National Convention as a delegate ?
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Posted by: Michael Patrick Leahy | February 20, 2008 at 06:41 PM
Wow! I know a Republican. My friends who boast about their broadmindedness will be amazed! Have fun, Mike.
Posted by: Keith Raffel | February 20, 2008 at 10:53 PM