Instead, I get the impression that a candidate many found to be an honorable serviceman turned politician and thought by a significant proportion of the Conservative electorate to be only palatable in light of the Socialist alternative has dropped off the radar.
He is conveniently upstaged, as is his position on Amnesty, the First Amendment, and a host of other issues which rendered him far less than desireable were there a viable alternative.
We know she is pro-gun, but where does he stand, exactly, even as judges are parsing Heller to uphold virtually any restriction on a right which "shall not be infringed".
Multiply the vagueness surrounding the nominee by the number of issues and you have what we are not hearing about from the candidate.
The tabloid atmosphere surrounding the election further promotes the disappearance from discussion of the very liberal policy history of the more Conservative of the major party candidates--not to mention any but the most vague references to his opponent's specific stance on any issues but 'hope and change'.
This seems like lean fare upon which to make an informed decision, and is made worse by the outrageous distortions of the media when some matter of substance leaks through the fluff and nonsense they publish.
Add in an electorate either virulently partisan or too distracted to be paying any more attention than they must, and it is likely that the next 'leader of the free world' will be decided by people who will figure out who they will vote for by counting road signs on the way to the polls.
Your entire post is very well conceived and expressed, and there's not a word with which I disagree.
I am far from pleased with the man at the top of the ticket, primarily because I vehemently disagree with the theory behind, and the ramifications of, McCain-Feingold, and because of his stance on illegal immigration/amnesty -- but also because his views on so many other important issues (chief among them, the right to keep and bear arms and the pseudo-need to address global warming) are troubling or unclear.
As for your comment above, that is precisely why the 'get out the vote' campaigns are appalling. If a citizen needs to be prodded to go to the voting booth, then perhaps he shouldn't be voting at all.
~ joanie