Maybe I'm paranoid...

but does anyone else really buy this "the next three months are going to determine this election" crap. I mean, if I were a Bush worker and knew that my candidate had a slight learning disability, was already behind in the polls and had a tremendous monetary advantage that allowed him to run a national campaign well before federal funds kick in to help John Kerry (who I'm no big fan of), wouldn't I REALLY want to sell such wisdom to the media and pundits. I mean, if you listen to the Post, the Times or any other major daily, it seems as if the entire election will be decided well before the conventions and debates. Well before John Kerry gets the first chance anyone's had in four years to actually ask Bush a direct question. Well before New York in August ends up looking eerily like Chicago in '68 (though I doubt Bloomberg is an ingenious at crowd control as Daley was). Well before most voters have even paid attention to anything. Well before one can tell the efficacy of the GOTV operations that will in all likelyhood decide this election. If I didn't know any better, I'd think mainstream reporters were being hustled by a campaign that desperately wants to sell its candidate as presidential and determined before most Americans get only their second chance to see him without the production values of a Jerry Bruckheimer film.