Essay: Why Presidents Seem So Small

The U.S. has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the West. Everyone has his reasons: difficult voter-registration procedures, a large and apolitical underclass, a general contentment that makes people not even bother to vote. But there is another explanation: boredom. People are so disappointed with the nominees for President that they see no point in expending great effort to choose among them.

Presidential politics is afflicted with political dwarfism. The Democrats started out the year with seven dwarfs. Now there is one. Republicans say many things about George Bush. That he is a political giant is not one of them.