The big news from Michigan is Huckabee recommending amendments to the Constitution to avoid conflict with scripture, or more accurately, his interpretation of it. Anyone that fails to vote risks more of this wacko stuff in the White House. (See last seven years.)

Consider what the Huckster might think scripture says about Iran, or China. I have a fairly devout Christian colleague that says the Chinese can't act morally if they are not Christian. That's an invitation to dehumanize others. And the dehumanized tend to resent it. Want more blowback?

Huckabee might bring back a James Watt for the the EPA, who won't care about preserving the environment if the rapture is coming soon. Maybe we don't mind encouraging Armageddon, either. Sooner the better, right?

Hey, mister, if the rapture comes can I have your car?

Here we go, watching the storied talent of Democrats to excel in target shooting---when the target is either their friends or their feet---take all the attention away from the disastrous policies we have endured for two presidential terms.

Senator Clinton is showing a bit too much aura of entitlement, and acting positively offended that anyone might think she is not the ultimate candidate. Obama is failing to hold the high ground he needs, to keep either experience or race off the table. And their imperfections are inciting their supporters to find cracks in the other's defense.

My request is this: Stop advertising, and start talking about the difference between your policies and those of Republicans. We will decide which sounds more convincing, which sounds more likely to bring in some Republicans, or be strong enough to simply discourage them from voting for the losers on their side. Stop trying to differentiate your positions from each other---they are not much different, and will both yield to Congress, anyway.

Failing to be truly different, the two camps are tempted by the cheap shot, which is bad enough. Worse is the fracas allowing the media to highlight the noise, to set up sandbagging questions, to run with soundbites. It gives away control of message to the media.

We cannot afford to bleed to death while the deadly important legal questions of torture, warmaking, intelligence gathering, competence in administering, propriety in prosecutions, and election manipulation go unanswered. Bye-bye accountability.