South Carolina Republicans head to the presidential primary polls today – as the candidates prove anew that the state is a place where the old phrase “politics ain’t bean bag” still applies.
Candidates and their backers are again battling over the appropriateness of the Confederate flag in public places, stem-cell research – and even whether John McCain was a true “hero” during his years in North Vietnamese captivity.
And, of course, there are more than a few blatant distortions of candidate records, anonymous phone calls and untraceable fliers designed to deceive.
It’s not new. Presidential politics has been a thumb-in-the-eye biz since the republic’s founding.
But it is depressing. It is to be hoped that all candidates keep their eye on the big picture, and that at least some civility maintains throughout the process.
It’s important for the country that the next president be someone who will actually be able to get things done.
Naive?
Perhaps.
But it certainly wouldn’t hurt candidates to balance their ambitions and egos with due consideration for the integrity of the office they seek – and the challenges one of them inevitably will face.