The Hybrid

I listen to talk radio these days, flip on the TV when I awake at 6, think about things broader than my life, my home, myself. These are living history moments, today and in the days to come.

What will we remember most from 2008=09? Will it be the most historic Presidential election, with the choice of putting a Woman or a African American male in the White House? Or will America's financial industry's embarrassing scope of corruption which fueled the Wall Street and banking/housing debacle and subsequent grotesque bailout overshadow that? Families, it turns out, do not all deserve houses of their own, and that simple truth has taken our nation's economy nearly to its knees.

Legalizing Gay marriage is up for the vote, and that's momentus, but so is being on the brink of the Iraq war becoming a neverending saga. It is likely that auto manufacturers will have to shut down, along with a lot of other businesses whose names are household words: Washington Mutual, Lehman, AIG. How could we let Japan steal our thunder? Didn't WE invent the automobile?

I sat on the edge of my seat during the vice presidential debate tonight, not able to remember if I had ever bothered to tune in before this year. I found myself evaluating Biden and Palin's Commander-in-Chief qualities if their running mate was unable to complete the term of office. Remarkable.

Both candidates said the election is a clear choice. But a good one? McCain and Obama are uncomfortably divergent. I don't trust that they will be able to sit down together and craft solutions to very serious issues in a balanced, moderate way. I know I'd breathe a little easier if some of the candidates had more experience, or more demonstrated leadership over the long haul. When I was in Arizona, McCain did a whole lot of nothing that can be construed as Presidential or Maverick.

I don't want a President who's quick to anger and won't play by the rules even when he should; but I also don't want a wishy washy, Do-Gooder with untried philosophical principles to be played out on the world stage.

What we need is a Hybrid! An innovative, lean and mean, political team prototype that is scarcely reliant on fossil fuel and burns clean. Sleek, efficient and Eco-Friendly, they could effectively maneuver through rough political terrain with the onboard GPS system. Sound on or off, your choice.