Watching with Dread and Fascination

I’m not really watching the Vice Presidential debate. I figure I’ll listen to it tomorrow on XM Radio’s POTUS08 channel, where they’ll play it more than once through the day.

I have to admit though, I want to watch it. I’m sure most people with even the slightest interest in the political scene want to watch it. Of course, none of us want to watch it because we think its going to change our minds – even those of us who are mainly leaning undecided/none-of-the-above.

More importantly, we’re watching for the same reason, allegedly, that many people watch auto racing: on the off-chance that there will be a big wreck.

Another very sad commentary on our political culture in this day and age, that we want to watch this kind of spectacle in order that we might watch the zinger, the sharp barb, or the deer-in-headlights moment.