Peachie, you make a point about Biden not being managed. Clearly, he is not being micro-managed by the Obama campaign staffers. That's not at all bad. It gives the electorate the opportunity to consider his entire "body of work", while serving as Senator, in the presidential primaries, and as a VP candidate.

If the "inept" McCain campaign staff--and I sadly agree with you that they are inept--had permitted Sarah Palin to conduct her own campaign as she did today in Toledo, then we would also have a pretty complete body of work with which to compare both vice presidential candidates.

The same holds true for McCain and Obama. My perception was that they both began the campaign on the high road, but when those inept campaign staffers managed McCain down to the negative, personal attack approach, Obama ultimately was forced to follow.

Had the Presidential candidates remained on the campaign high road, the electorate would also be able to better understand not only the personal capabilities of both men, but more clearly understand the elements of their plans for the country if they were elected. Again, we'd have a pretty complete, understandable and unemotional body of work to compare, contrast and assess them as well.

The public would have been better served had the candidates campaigned as they both initially began. How do we get rid of the campaign staffers that introduce so much deviseiveness and vitriol into the campaign?

Unfortunately, not only did the candidates sink below a level of acceptability, but they drew a large number of the public into the negative and nasty campaign narrative. When the election is over, one candidate will walk away as President, and the other will return to a senior position in the Senate. They will both smile, congratulate the other and say the campaign was the product of being in "a tough business". Unfortunately, the loser will leave a riled up, uncooperative, and even hateful group of followers who will not come together with their political opponents to support the new President in a time of multiple national crises. It won't make the job of the new President any easier. The polarity and dissonance so evident in our politics for more than a decade will have bled into the public domain.

As a nation, we will reap what the candidates and their inept campaign advisors have sown.