Wow Mark, do I agree with you. I hate the choices the two major parties give us. Rarely do they put up anyone I consider pragmatic and idealistic in a way where they'll put the people they represent above personal power. When I vote for Kerry in November it'll only be because Bush really bothers me on the issues where I think his viewpoints are guided mostly by a very rigid, dogmatic, and fundamentalist Christian belief. Kerry is obviously a narrow-issue candidate as well and it just drives me crazy to vote for someone just because I fear them less.

Of course the both of us run the risk of being labeled as indecisive and wishy-washy. Life isn't as exciting in the middle, looking at compromise and asking for tolerance and patience in social change. Same reason you never see a moderate talk show host that is wildly popular. If you can't make the blood boil it isn't sexy and exciting.

Who knows? Maybe someday evolution will overcome the extremists. We can certainly hope.