I'm usually very close mouthed about my political beliefs. I don't think it's a matter for public discussion, but a private one. My view has always been "ask me what I think and I'll tell you." But as I move closer and closer to American citizenship, I find it harder and harder to stay out of political debates. Becoming an American citizen is sort of like converting to a religion, and religious converts tend to be more fervent than lifetime members.

I've observed that many Americans view politics as a starkly black and white matter. Both Liberals and Conservatives believe that they alone represent the Turth about America. If you're a Democrat, the Republicans are corrupt, mean, evil, conniving greedheads who are just waiting for the first opportunity to seize the reins of power and establish a dictatorship. If you're a Republican, the Democrats are corrupt, deluded, weak-minded, perverted hippies who are just waiting for their chance to stage a violent revolution and set up a dictatorship.

It seems to escape both sides that America is defined politically by the exchange between the left and the right. This shouldn't be such a surprise. The founding documents make much mention of debate and deliberation. Even election year politics is part of this deliberation; a rather murky, smelly, noisome sort, but deliberation none-the-less.