The field is thinned out, barely, and the media has declared the top 3 for the Republican presidential nominee.  (Ah, people forget the media is often all about entertainment.) The polls are declaring who's popular and who's not among those who are declared Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

There's one poll I have not seen yet - If anyone knows of it, let me know: How many people switched parties in the past couple of years?

A number of my once pretty solid Republican family and friends  have, one by one, been becoming Independents or Democrats, or at least voting that way. That migration seems to have escalated in the past eight months. If the Tea Party movement has turned out to be one hell of a bad shindig, it has, at the least, been a huge wake up call. It's also a big reminder that politics often mask what we should be thinking about - Who really is the best person for the job, not the most entertaining, most popular, or - more and more - richest candidate.

I was disappointed but also understood when George Pataki decided not to run for President this past week. He has the best qualifications for the JOB of president of all the potential Republican runners so far. Seriously, even though I have tended to vote Democrat over the years, simply because I found the best candidates for the positions on that side, I vote for the person, not the party. It's both sad and scary to see the choices Republicans have this time around.

In a discussion I had with family this past weekend, the true political stance of The Average American revealed itself: very few of us are all progressive, or all conservative. We have different stands on different issues that makes us  melting pots of beliefs and ideas. We were handed an amazing gift three years ago: A melting pot President. In every way. One who can understand conservative, moderate and liberal concerns. One who weighs them all when he considers what to do. That wonderful gift has been treated like a hot pink flannel  bunny suit made by our craziest aunt, in favor of the "cooler" presents that are far crazier than that aunt could ever be. Toys with sharp, sharp edges.

Why is any adult voter playing with toys? Migrate over to something more sensible. The nation is over two hundred years old - it's time we all knew how to act our age.