No doubt about it, I'm suffering from Election Fatigue. There's only so much high drama one can take before burning out completely. Thankfully, there's only about two weeks left.

Our neighborhood has become a virtual forest of Bush and Kerry lawn signs.

I'm seriously thinking of making one which says, "November 3rd, One Nation Again." That sums up my sentiments perfectly.

As for myself, I'm fairly well convinced that my decision to vote for Kerry will be the right one. But whomever wins, I hope it a reasonably decisive election. I don't think we can stand another 2000-style contentious outcome.

I also have a very bad feeling about what a second Bush administration might wreak upon our political system. There seem to be a lot of very serious scandals which have been put on hold until after the election: Abu Gharib, faulty pre-war intelligence in Iraq, insufficient troops and resources to stabilize the country, among others. Without the distraction of the election (and two full years before the next elections), congressional Republicans who had been avoiding these issues may find them a priority again. Depending on what they find, the outcome could range from a year of national soul-searching, to a weakened and ineffective Bush administration, all the way to a Nixonian-style implosion.

Not that four years under Kerry will be a cakewalk. As a nation, we're in a serious pickle in Iraq and with our budget deficit, and it is going to take gumption, skill, and sacrifices to get us out. In that kind of situation, I'd much rather have someone like Kerry, who takes the time to understand the issues and steer a thoughtful course, than Bush, who shoots from the hip and doesn't tolerate internal dissent.

But either way, in two and a half weeks, it will be over. I hope.