One of the tragedies resulting from a changing presidential election process is the manner that, with so many cable companies and so much time to fill, and with competition events from the Super Bowl and World Series to "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars", what should be a solemn process to choose a national leader all too often and sadly gravitates in the mainstream media to a quadrennial entertainment event.

As soon as one cycle ends another begins as C-Span launches the latest "Road to the White House" installation.  In the early stages the fields become so large and unwieldy that so-called debates involve selective one line opportunities with any effort to achieve substantive dialogue dead in arrival.

In the outdoor Democratic multi-participant "debate" at Chicago's Soldier Field earlier this year Chris Matthews became deeply immersed if, on a given point, the home team player, former Windy City community organizer and later state and U.S. Senator Obama or local Chicago suburbanite who had ultimately become a New York senator, Hillary Clinton, had prevailed.

Matthews and Pat Buchanan along with others on the panel debated the issue in a manner  expected by an Al Michaels or John Madden discussing a potential winning drive for the New York Giants or New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.  Buchanan concluded that Obama won the point by one measure and that Clinton prevailed by another barometer.