Thank God Pennsylvania Is Almost Over!

Please, I am begging the other states, next time around move your primaries into the first two weeks of April. Every good citizen in every county in the Keystone state now knows every statement made by every single surrogate, every friend that both candidates have had since kindergarten and every sentence that either has uttered since he or she began this seven week marathon!

On other hand, serious discussions on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, healthcare, global warming, crumbling infrastructure, Bush administration possible corruption and our economy - especially its impact on the poor - have been almost forgotten.

Can any of us say that we have emerged from the primary more enlightened about the top issues of the day? Have the last seven weeks seen us as a party really shine the light on the horror of the Bush years and his mini-me candidate John McCain? The campaign for Pennsylvania has been simply depressing.

My hunch - and it is only a guess - is that Obama will have gained a good ten to twelve points on Clinton during this process but still will fall six to eight points short of victory. Pennsylvania with it demographics and profile is in many ways an exact photo copy of Ohio. If Clinton obtains double digits, she will feel very emboldened, we will hear yet more boneheaded spin about "The Comeback Kid" and this will all continue to at least June. God, I want this to end.

So Oregon, South Dakota and Montana, please move up your primaries to early April for the next go around. We all will be grateful.