It's official, America. You're a glutton for punishment.

Here you had Barack Obama, a candidate who promised change, a candidate who wasn't another hackneyed politician. He was an activist and a constitutional law professor. He was eloquent and he had solutions. He held the promise that Democrats had been waiting for: someone who wouldn't cower when faced with the Republicans, but wouldn't become one of them, either. He was someone who would hold his ground and stand up for what he believed in.

And you destroyed him, America. You turned him into the politician you wanted to see: you wanted to see the same hackeneyed baloney. You wanted personal attacks, pandering, and feuding. You wanted George Stephanopoulos and Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews and Sean Hannity to officiate a professional wrestling match. You didn't care about issues: I mean, clearly you don't care about issues. President Bush, after all, has a 69% disapproval rating, and still -- still! -- this election is up in the air. The easy decision, the one that could be made by any student from a middling kindergarten class, would be to vote for someone who is different from the person you hate! In your self-loathing, America, you knew that smoking was bad for you, but you kept on doing it, anyway.

Barack Obama had to go on television this week to denounce the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Why did he have to do this? Is it because the American people are so stupid that they would think that, because Obama went to Wright's church, it follows that Obama himself believes that the government spread HIV in black communities? Of course not: Obama went on television to put an end to the Rev. Wright saga. Something is wrong with this country when the first 45 minutes of a debate are taken up with such issues as flag lapel pins and a crazy pastor.* 45 minutes spent on why he doesn't wear a flag lapel pin? What do you mean by "bitter"? And my favorite, from George Stephanoupolos, "Does Rev. Wright love America as much as you do?" If they really wanted to stir up some controversy, they should have asked him if he liked deep-dish or New York style.

This election promised, more than the others in my memory, to deliver real issues. The country is in the midst of an economic crisis. We're mired in an unpopular war abroad. The president doesn't seem to care about the average person. This is prime time for a politician to talk about what he or she plans to do to save the country. And for the first few months of the campaign, we did talk about that. But as the primaries wore on and it was clear that there would be no definite winner, the so-called mainstream media became bored. Twenty-four hours is a lot of time to fill, and the candidates weren't saying anything new or different. What's a twenty-four hour network to do?

Make up controversy, of course!

It's no coincidence that the Rev. Wright "controversy" landed squarely in the middle of the lull between the Ohio primary and the Pennsylvania primary. Undoubtedly the news media were scouring every source they could find in order to shake the grass. Issues are great, but they don't glue people to news "analysis" enough to justify the ad prices. By finding some great YouTube footage of Rev. Wright supposedly denouncing America, there was more than enough analysis to fill twenty-four hours of television: the initial video! The history of Rev. Wright! What should Obama do! What is Hillary's response! Repeat ad nauseum.

Obama looked like the candidate for change. But now he looks just like any other candidate. Gone is the Obama of a year ago who fired up young Americans and made them believe in their leaders again. America couldn't tolerate a candidate who didn't give it bread and circuses. So they pulled Obama down into the muck with them, ensuring that they would have entertainment for the next week, even if it means granting the Bush administration a four-year extension.