I tend to be a pragmatic idealist, except during spring training, when hope springs eternal. When it comes to politics, I've been a cynic, but Obama's 2008 campaign moved me into the skeptical column, where I intend to remain. I mean, what are the options? It may be that the computer vote-counters are crooked. It is certain that campaigns and governing have little relationship. Government may seem so distant as to be something other than the expression of we the people, but what's the alternative?