As interested as I am in the current news cycle, I'm finding it hard to keep listening to the media coverage. 

Holy crap!  We're "driving the economy off a cliff," and the "sword of Damocles" is hanging over our heads! Over here we have the President with his "blank check" and his "out-of-control spending spree" -- like Cash for Clunkers and the First Time Home Buyers' tax credit.  Over there, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, are the Tea Party Freshmen, hell bent on doing "the will of the American people" (or at least the American people who elected them).  It seems these people "can't take yes for an answer" because, as we all know, "compromise is a dirty word," especially when the "adults" are "leading from behind."

There's a deal, but it might not pass because "the devil is in the details."  If this side doesn't get everything it wants, we'll be "passing the debt on to our grandchildren."  If the other side doesn't get what it wants, we'll be "balancing the budget on the backs of seniors and the poor."  If nobody gets what they want, we'll be "kicking the can down the road."  God help us!

More to the point, if we don't string this drama out until the last minute of the last day, a lot of people will get hurt.  The politicians will have to relinquish the microphone and step away from the spotlight. The talking heads will have to scrounge up another crisis to keep us entertained.  And the rest of us will have to find something else to tweet about.  That's the thing about reality shows:  we feel so empty when they're over.  Luckily, at least the NFL has settled its dispute with the players.  Maybe with pre-season starting soon, we can all paint our faces and focus on a real game.

Some pundits are referring to all this as a drama, but it's not.  Our political process is a sport.  It's really more like Mayan football than the NFL, a protracted death struggle where the winner gets the honor of having his head chopped off as a sacrificial offering. (Think of the ratings!) There are no referees, but there is a lot of sponsorship.  Meanwhile, the media serves as sportscasters, screaming "SCORE!" every time somebody insults somebody else.  If this deal does go through, with its provision for yet another committee, the second half starts in November.  Cameras rolling...and, action!

Personally, I'd like to kick all their cans down the road.