Mary Ann Meets Mary Jane

This story required me to write that headline before I saw anyone else pounce on the obvious. Maverick Views has really turned into a quality blog, hasn't it?

Hopefully you're reading my daily contributions at Donklephant. They're a little less leafy.

Haven't We Seen This Before?

For anyone who watched the final season of The West Wing a few years back, this election is starting to look eerily similar. In the fictional world of The West Wing, the Republicans nominated a grumpy, moderate Republican who was disliked by his own base but had the potential to win 50 states thanks to his mainstream positions. The Democrats went through a grueling primary season, ended up at the convention without a nominee and finally chose a relatively inexperienced, solidly liberal, non-white congressman who was extremely good at giving inspiring, unifying speeches.

John McCain as Arnold Vinick. Barack Obama as Matt Santos. Life is imitating network television. No wonder this has been such a captivating election.