Among us political tech nerds (and I admit, we're a small group), a stir-up has been taking place around a new website launched by John Boehner, the Minority Leader in the House. The site, "earmarkreform.house.gov," violates a long-standing House rule prohibiting sloganeering in website addresses.

The <a href="http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/">Open House Project</a> e-mail list - occupied by a certain flavor of nerd but open to all - hosted a recent discussion on this topic.

A well-known Republican strategist said the site was no different than "globalwarming.house.gov". He's wrong there - Global Warming is an official committee, not a cause or a slogan. The changing climate is a Democratic priority, sure, but the site represents an official entity, not just a cause.

But the Global Warming example does bring up an interesting point - many slogans eventually become institutionalized. One good example is the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Back during the Gingrich revolution, Republicans turned the former Government Operations Committee into the Government Reform Committee - "Government Reform" being a loaded term for its time and one that still bristles many Democrats today.

Taking a broader look, the rule Boehner is complaining about is there for good reason. While earmark reform might seem innocuous, allowing URLs outside of official entities politicizes an official government resource that's meant for all citizens to use. While some politics is unavoidable on house.gov, House Rules are there to prevent it from becoming just another platform for politicians to campaign.

What we often forget is that, despite the overwhelming partisan rancor, our Congress is there to work for us. That's right, work, as in create laws that represent the will of the people. We should always resist attempts by Members of Congress to politicize official government resources that we paid for as taxpayers and exist for our benefit.

An individual Congressperson's website exists to keep us informed on his or her work, a Committee's website exists so that we know what goes on outside the House Floor, but "earmarkreforms.house.gov" doesn't keep anyone informed. It's political campaigning, pure and simple. Boehner's site doesn't even represent the majority of Republicans, only a handful of whom resisted adding earmarks to this year's pork-filled legislation.

John Boehner made a clumsy attempt to create a campaign site with taxpayer money. Not only should he lose the URL, but he should take down the site as well. Maybe that's the RNC's job, but I sure don't want to be paying for it.

Have you ever seen that episode of the Simpsons where Springfield gets a monorail? With a song, a smile, and some smooth talking, traveling salesman Lyle Lanley could sell the town just about anything, and he does. Springfield becomes the proud new owner of a ridiculous monorail system.

By the time Lyle Lanley finishes his musical sales pitch, the whole town is chanting "Monorail...Monorail...Monorail!" The episode, consistently a fan favorite, speaks to the power an inspirational leader has to lead or mislead a crowd.

So what's this have to do with this year's presidential election?

Here's the thing. Every time I see Barack Obama speak, I get the feeling that he's trying to sell me a genuine, bona fide, certified, electrified six-car monorail. No matter what the question is, our very own Lyle Lanley of a presidential candidate has a quick answer: "don't worry about it, just sprinkle it with fairy dust, take a dose of hope, and we'll work this out together."

Worried about the economy? President Obama's going to sit those folks on Wall Street down and give them a good talking to. Surely they'll understand.

Looking for universal healthcare? Barack's already booked Camp David for a weekend of fun in the sun with Big Pharma and Big Insurance. Because, by golly, they're such reasonable folks that by Sunday we'll have single-payer universal coverage!

Wondering where American jobs are headed? How we're going to get out of the Iraq mess? The mortgage crisis? Dangerous products coming in from China? An unstable Middle East?

The answer is all the same. President Obama going to unleash some hope at those problems. He's going to have a cup of tea with industry, commerce, and world leaders. Afterwards, they'll understand the error of their ways and come to a nice compromise.

It's nice, it plays well on TV, and maybe it's even a bit inspirational, but it's a complete and utter fantasy. The bitter partisan fights going on in Washington have been there forever, and will be there forever. The lack of will to compromise is one result of our political party duopoly, and for better or worse, it's here to stay.

Senator Obama's rhetoric, while it may help him win over voters, won't have the same effect on the denizens of Washington, D.C. The cynics and professional politicians are going to keep on keepin' on, with or without "hope" hanging over their heads.

Now, Hillary Clinton is far from perfect, but if there's one thing she knows, it's how to work the wheels of Washington. Despite the cries of the media, of Obama-ites, and of conservatives, Hillary knows how to get things done. She's not the best orator, she's not the most visibly empathetic, but she does know her stuff.

And again, despite how the media tries to portray it, Hillary is the real compromiser in this race. She's worked with some of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate for common purposes - some of the very same people who spent the 1990's attacking her husband's White House. She also knows how to be tough when she needs to be, and she's not afraid of letting that show on the campaign trail.

But even if this race is about hope, about inspiration, about a new direction, then it's important to ground those ideals in reality. And the reality is, Hillary Clinton knows how to get things done. And that's what we want, isn't it?