President Obama, the Democratic leader, has stayed on target, continued along his path and acted consistently even-keeled and professional – sure of his positions and policies.  While often at odds with facts and reality – he is surely sure that his reality is real.

On the opposite side, the Republican Party has been distracted by media fashioned internal fighting, (Conservative Radio Host Rush Limbaugh, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, and former Speaker Newt Gingrich), made-for-TV soap-opera personal revelations, (Senator John Ensign of Nevada, Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina), and Governor Sarah Palin’s fireworks-creating resignation announcement on July 3rd.

Possibly, leading the country isn’t as much about dealing in reality, as it is about having the conviction that how you represent your version of reality is what actually matters.

What’s at risk?  That the nation too will become immune to reality, and believe that more, bigger better government is the answer to all problems.  

“Passive immunity lasts only for a few weeks or months,” notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site, “only active immunity is long-lasting.”  Let’s hope that, in seeking to recover from the economic malaise that is infecting the nation, this administration’s current transfer of antibodies against reality is passive, not active and will soon be over.

In the meantime, we might want to ponder: Just as style is much more about how clothes are worn than it is about the clothes themselves,  – maybe we should realize that good governance is not only about policies, but also about how, and by whom the policies are communicated.

The GM line of cars of the 1960’s was expansive and represented the dreams of many Americans turning into reality.  Let’s hope that when reality dawns, that the GM car sitting in our nation’s carport today is not a lemon but sparkles in the sun, and performs on the road.