Chris Matthews IS Joan Rivers

I used to be a fan of the Sunday morning political talk shows. I watched MSNBC nightly to see Chris Matthews and his guests dissect the political landscape.

But recently I've come to the conclusion that Chris (and all the other pundits, liberal and conservative alike) are as relevant to the political scene as Joan Rivers is to the Oscars. They're all part of the same circus and their commentary has no affect on the outcome.

I think the final straw was when I saw comedian Steven Colbert make an appearance on Meet the Press and get treated like a serious Presidential candidate.

If you've watched recently, the pundits debate "issues" like "Is Obama Black Enough" and spend time talking about Hillary's "cackle" or her cleavage or John Edwards hair or whether Ann Coulter's vile remarks are helping or hurting a democratic candidate. They talk about which Republican can court the religious right or which candidate is most like Reagan.

High school stuff.

They aren't covering a United States presidential race. They're treating this like an election of the High School Prom Court. Now I ordinarily wouldn't have a problem with that, except that the High School Prom court won't be leading the country after they're elected.

The political pundits have the same informational impact on the 2008 Presidential race as Joan Rivers has on who wins Best Actor - none. It's all about style, swagger, who's hot and who's not. It's about who is buzzworthy. "Who are you wearing dahling?" It's a friggin' popularity contest instead of a contest of ideas.

I understand that to win, people need to vote for you. They need to like you.

Our parents used to vote for people who proposed ideas to make each of our lives a little better, healthier, safer, more prosperous, more free. It seems like our generation pulls the lever for they person they'd most like to have a beer with.

And it's a shame. Because I think that if the political pundits scratched below both parties talking points, they could help move the debate on the issues forward. They could help clarify where each candidate stands. They could help the nation actually decide on a candidate based on what they would DO when they got into office. They could hold people accountable for policy details and for action.

But that would be harder than commenting on style.

I want to know how any candidate can accept special interest donations and claim to be unaffected by them.

I want to know how any candidate who proposes that private health insurers are the answer to our health insurance crisis, will offer coverage to everyone, affordably - including people with pre-existing or chronic conditions.

I want to know how no-bid government contracts for services are in the best interest of the American people and why we have to out-source Iraq security to Blackwater or our port security to Dubai.

I want to know how we will transition from oil based energy to alternate fuels.

I want to know how we will address global warming, border security, illegal immigration, outsourcing of manufacturing jobs, the declining dollar, torture, trade deficits, the national debt, the future of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid.

And I want to know that before November 2008.

Chris Matthews et al, can continue to cover breaking news - like how many 9/11 references Rudy has made in a recent speech or whether Obama is wearing his lapel flag pin.

Or they can drive discussion and debate to help us elect an effective President.

Otherwise stop wasting my time.