Monday before TUESDAY marks the 11th hour.

What can you say when time is running out? Talk to yourself:

• If you are a candidate, you would hope to say, "I have done my best; now the voters decide."
  
• If you are a voter who has already voted, you can say "Thank goodness!"
  
• If you haven't voted yet, you can say, "Whatever it takes . . . I'll prevail."
  
• If you are refusing to vote, even for McCain-Palin, you can say, "Shame on me."
  
• If you are a member of the media, you can say, "I'll do my honest-to-goodness best."
  
• If you are a blogger, you can say,"Hang in there; a bit of respite is coming."
  
• If you are from outside the U.S., you can say, "Good Luck to America!"

Where are we at this 11th hour? Campaign funds have been spent at an incredible rate. (Obama's "infomercial" was watched by 33.5 million people). The time for big new ideas on how to win has expired. The papers have all made their endorsements*. More Conservatives have endorsed Obama# than Democrats have endorsed McCain. The candidates that head both parties have either reconciled or split. The Republican Party is more well known# to voters, as candidates are revealed at their best and worst over time#. Most voters know where the Democrats stand on the issues after four debates. New methods for getting out the vote emerged, and old methods for suppressing votes have shown up again.

After Tuesday's election results are final, we know that half of us are going to be bitterly disappointed at the outcomes. We all know that things will change# in a new administration, such as not keeping campaign promises, raising or lowering taxes#, and resolving the problems of the economic crisis in different ways than what is being tried now. New coalitions will be formed. Old groupings will break up. Democracy will again prevail.

Hat Tip Key: Regular contributors of links to leads are "betmo*" and Jon#.

View my current slide show about the Bush years -- "Millennium" -- at the bottom of this column.

(Cross-posted at The Reaction.)

My “creativity and dreaming” post today is at Making Good Mondays.

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