Hovering just below 50 percent, Mr. Obama's current approval rating seems indicative of our country's political malaise and one wonders if anything short of another national emergency will ever allow us to bridge this gap.

We face massive, undeniable changes in both the structure and tone of our government.  Some call it socialism; others see it as social responsibility.  The wars drag on and Middle East tensions continue to rise as Iran marches defiantly towards nuclear domination of the region.  Afghanistan is a quagmire that trapped all the power and glory of the former Soviet Union for nearly a decade before they cut their losses and ran.

Mother earth may or may not be preparing to abort her human experiment, forcing many into a state of panic.  Global monetary systems are in chaos and all the while, the breath of our own economy laboriously rasps through the electronic hum of artificial life support.

As summer draws to a close and school begins once again, we will all pause in a moment of superficial solidarity to reflect briefly upon the tragedy of 9/11 before scurrying like ants towards harvest time and the busy winter holiday season ahead.

These are no longer the carefree, halcyon days of summer, yet we remain paralyzed with a deep-rooted political polarization that almost surely destines our current actions to failure.  Any successful effort put forth must have more than half of the people behind it if it's going to bear fruit and sustain us in the long months ahead.

Without the will and faith of the people behind it, our two-party system will simply be trading power back and forth every couple of years, doing and undoing for decades to come as both our nation and economy suffer from a perpetual identity crisis.

This writer shares the same `guilt by disassociation' as nearly all of the politically involved these days, yet I fail to see any merit in compromise when confronting issues that seem so obviously wrong and counterproductive.  I'm sure those on the left feel equally secure in their convictions.

From my perspective, the air of sanctimonious hypocrisy I so often see from the far left is betrayed only by their astounding ignorance in regards to history, the constitution and governmental policy in general.  Facts are something to be avoided at all costs and for all their help in disseminating the truth, the mainstream media might as well set up shop permanently on the White House lawn lest they whither while separated from the one they love.

Conversely, I am also well aware of the general view of the right.  Bent with hawkish determination, our extremist hands are so often occupied with the task of juggling our guns and Bibles, we're barely able to fashion enough tinfoil hats to deflect the rays of Mr. Obama's socialistic mind control machines.  Fortunately, Glenn Beck's interns are working overtime to provide enough for all of the red states.

Perhaps the once silent majority will save us in the end.  Maybe the terrorists will take out the vast wasteland formerly known as Detroit or a clumsy lab technician will drop a vial of nastiness on the floor of some underground facility in the Black Hills, forcing us into a tragic parody of some Stephen King novel.  It's a shame to think that it may take the worst to bring out the best in us once again, but perhaps we've built the walls so high, even Mr. Reagan could not bring them down at this point.

Despite the great divide, I continue to place my faith in the moms and dads of middle America.  The real heroes of our nation remain far too busy with the minutia of daily life to immerse themselves in a political mud bath or succumb to such petty labels as paranoid or extremist.  Eventually, the center-right middle will grow tired of these childish antics.  Congress will be given a time-out and the recalcitrant fringes will be relegated to their respective corners to reflect upon the mess they've created.