Great letter to the editor of the Washington Post by Don Boudreaux:

Dear Editor:

We’re supposed to be inspired by your report of high-school kids becoming politically active - working, in one case, for the Obama campaign, and in another for the McCain campaign (”Too Young to Vote, But Electing to Care,” October 28).

I’m not inspired; I’m saddened.  Why applaud young people who are attracted to the opportunistic compromises, platitudes, distortions, and exaggerations of party politics?  These kids either lack the maturity to understand that party politics is chiefly about winning office (rather than about pursuing truth and justice), or they DO understand this fact.  In neither case is this juvenile political involvement admirable.

I agree.  I was watching some fluff story (aren’t they all?) on one of the network news morning shows about polling grade school kids on their presidential choices, and all the cute little things kids are doing to support their candidate.  It made me feel sick.  But not as sick as this video.  Why, as a parent, would you ever encourage hero-worship of a politician?  Their sole function is to take things from some people and give things to other people, and try to explain themselves in a way that makes the greatest number of people like them.  Sick.