Trail's End

And so we've arrived.

At the close of the longest American presidential campaign, are we better for it?

You hear the same sorts of dissatisfaction in people's voices; with the candidates, the process, the choices. Perhaps it is why, with all of the polling and all of the media coverage, so many still don't know what they'll do Tuesday.

Has it all led us to declare an inflated value to the vote? Yes, history will be made by the election of either the first African-American or the first 70-something president, or the first woman vice president.

And maybe the nation feels as if it's gone deaf with all of the noise made by media-ocracy and the web-ocracy (the blog-ocracy) that've seized the moment to declare their constitutional rights.

But that's freedom folks.

More people have been exposed to more freedom (0f thought) in this election than at any time. Is it disorienting? Confusing ? As Alaska's governor would say, "you betcha." It's not easy. But thank goodness. `Hard' is what makes it great.

But how many grade schoolers do you know rising in the morning to listen to the political talk on the cable news channels. I have two. They have conversations about the race in their classroom.. with no teacher involved. No photo op education program here (though those are fine.) That's just an example of the engagement this country's seen in places it's not used to seeing.

Now, there are people who fear the outcome of Tuesday's vote. Of the winner. Of votes not being counted. Of three-hour lines after work to actually cast a ballot. Fear, like I've never heard in my lifetime. And that's O.K. Fear may or may not be the highest form of motivation, but no one questions its power. And that will move more people than ever to give us a true read of what we're all about.

Whether that puts us fewer than a million votes apart on who we want to be president, or 100 electoral votes, we will know, and move on and peacefully transfer power, as we always have. And that will be good.

After this nation's rough start to the millennium, it may be just what the nation needed. Affirmation of why we do what we do.