Sirocco: any hot, oppressive wind, esp. one blowing toward a center of low barometric (political?) pressure.                   (www.yourdictionary.com/sirocco)

The last few months have tested the American people’s patience. We’ve endured one of the greatest exhibitions of self-service in the history of politics: The Republican Party Presidential Candidate Debates. Some say, there’s been no greater example of hot air exchange since the development of the heat pump. It’s fitting the latest took place in Las Vegas, a city in the middle of a desert. It’s hot and was once barren until “special interests” took over and developed the area.

The polluting wellspring of personal attacks conducted against each other has been interesting. Ron Paul is as combative as always, I guess mainly because he’s left out of substantive conversation by all of the other candidates, he gets feisty. It seems few take him seriously.

Newt Gingrich (does anybody else have a problem with a guy named for an adolescent salamander?) has been putting out some really good ideas and then is noted, as usual, for diminishing his standing on the dais by giving people time to remember his eccentricities; like going on vacation during a campaign. Michele Bachmann is definitely qualified to campaign but has lost traction because of verbal gaffes making her look as though she’s done no research on chosen topics: Elvis’ birthday on the anniversary of his death? Ouch.

Jon Huntsman, a former Ambassador to China and Governor of Nevada is the only one personally knows about foreign affairs, but appears light on domestic policy. He fits the same mold as Gary Johnson, New Mexico’s former governor and is pro-marijuana legalization but is in favor of smaller government as are all of these candidates. Rick Santorum, a former two-time senator from Pennsylvania hasn’t been allowed to say much because of the media’s love affair with the combative elements of the next two candidates: Romney and Perry. He does however look good in an expensive suit.

Romney was the favorite, except when he was eclipsed by Perry’s entry into the field. Romney gave Massachusetts Socialized Medicine and Barack Obama a template for his boondoggle; ObamaCare. He’s a former (?) liberal needing to step away from the failing medical program and his questionable and possibly overly flexible world view. Rick Perry appears to be more opportunistic than substantial in some cases. He occasionally has trouble thinking on his feet. This may pass but, another Republican stumble-tongue doing battle with the master of the Teleprompter could prove interesting in a comedic sense, but disastrous on the world political stage. (Must I say: Joe Biden?) Romney has an economic policy plan covering 59 point in 160 pages. Perry hasn’t given us much of anything yet but wants to drill for oil. Don’t we have enough pages in the Tax Code? Do we need more hundred-plus page tomes to confuse the issue and ultimately prove unworkable? Less may be better.

Herman Cain’s a former CEO of a Pizza Parlor. He was on the Kansas City Board of the Federal Reserve. He has a “simple” tax re-structuring plan: The 9-9-9 Plan. Sounds simple, easy to understand, ready to be implemented, therefore it’ll never work because Congress needs to baffle with Bullspit (sic) where they can’t dazzle with brilliance. (Trust me, there’s NO brilliance in Congress.)

This is a run-down of the main characters in this program of hot-air distribution. Feel free to cringe.

The problem with these people is they can’t get an eyeball in the general direction of (let alone ON) the prize. They’ve continually attack and sabotage each other more potently and specifically than the Democrats could ever hope for. Obama and his merry band are doing screen shots and video-captures of every gaffe these people slide into position to injure each other. The debaters don’t recognize they’re giving Obama ammo for the real campaign. And if they can’t see this now, how in heck will they beat the man on the campaign trail? Videotape never goes away, nor does audio recorded. But when it’s all over, they’ll kiss and make up. Yeah, right.

This last debate Sirocco is creating more damage than we’ll care to see.

Thanks for listening.