Who Are You Calling Stupid? Posted by David Shorr

I suppose we could have predicted it -- the chorus of political "analysis" and news coverage that has declared that the 2008 elections will not be about the Iraq War or foreign policy, because once again "It's the economy, stupid!"

Frankly, I think you have to consider the American electorate stupid to believe that our national election can only be about one or two issues at the most. I won't even mention the many obvious ways in which domestic and international issues have become intertwined (in part because Heather already has). My point is that at a moment of heightened public engagement, our fellow citizens not only can but want to hear about more than one or two issues. Voters are not going to forget about Iraq or the troubling state of US relations with the world, and these issues are not going to vanish from the national debate.