Halloween parades are always interesting political events.  The best one I've ever attended was the 1987 parade in Greenwich Village when, among hundreds of witty costumes, Ronald Reagan was continually mocked and pilloried for his silence about AIDS.

That seems a lifetime ago.  In a very different place, I attended an elementary school parade this afternoon.  Among the witches, ball players, Harry Potters, and goth cheerleaders, one 5th grade girl dressed up as Sarah Palin.  Everyone laughed and high-fived.

A mom was trying to take the girl's picture and she kept yelling out to a group of kids, "Hey John McCain, get in the picture. Hey John McCain, get in the picture with Sarah Palin."  The kids turned round and round, the other parents looked confused, The teacher came over and said, "I don't think any of my kids are dressed up as John McCain."  The photographer/ mom yelled for McCain once again and then, frustrated, walked over to the kid who had been ignoring her command and placed him next to Sarah Palin.  The kid wasn't dressed up as John McCain.  He was dressed up as Yoda.