They had a body language expert on CNN. Yes, a body language expert on a news program. They were going to explain the body language of Hillary and Barack. Lin changed the channel before they came on. We were afraid they would also be bringing on an astrology expert next to discuss potential running mates for the candidates. Not that I think there isn’t anything to body language, because there most certainly is, but sitting around on a news program looking at photos and videos of people and explaining what they are “really thinking” is just one of the many signals that this election cycle is like none other in my life. Or ever.

I don’t like it. I don’t like any of it. Americans seem to be under the impression that past great presidents were perfect in all ways and that every tiny detail of the candidates existence from birth to the current moment, every utterance from their mouths and every word they ever scribbled, has to be gone over, analyzed, verified, talked about endlessly, or gossiped about openly. Every … little … detail. Over … and over … again. Endlessly filling 24 hours a day with the same mindless inanities spewed by an interchangeable variety of talking heads.

Would Washington have passed today’s tests? Would Lincoln? Would FDR? What about Reagan? Would anyone who has ever been the President of the United States have made it to that position, if the American public had know every intimate little detail of every moment of their lives from birth? And would they stay president long in the modern political climate, if the American public knew everything that went on while they occupied the White House? I’d say no and no. Yet many of them were great men and great leaders, and they did great things.

But they weren’t perfect. No one is. We will never find anyone who is perfect to elect to the position president. Everyone has skeletons of one kind or another, and everyone has said or done things that would outrage someone else, or things that could be misinterpreted to make it seem so. Not even the greatest human beings who have ever lived were perfect enough to be the President of the United States right now. Under the beady and piercing eye of what passes for news and journalism in the 21st century, even saints would look like Satan.

I expect any day now to see one of the bouncy, smiling female talking heads to present a report, or at least gossipy speculation, about whether Barack wears boxers or briefs, or whether Hillary and Bill sleep in separate bedrooms. For all I know, they already have and I was lucky enough to have missed it.

Ten million actual news stories or political issues to be discussed in the world right now, but what does CNN want to talk about? They want to have on their body language expert to discuss what Hillary and Barack really think about each other. Guess what? I don’t care what they really think about each other, even if this expert was far more of an expert on their subject than any of the other experts CNN has on every day. They actually don’t have to like each other. So long as they can work together, in whatever capacity that may be in the future, to achieve their mutual goals, then I say good for them, and maybe good for us too.

Millions and millions of people go to work every day and work with bosses, supervisors, and coworkers who they do not like or even actively hate, and yet those millions and millions of people still manage to work together to achieve mutual goals and to get things done to benefit the whole. It’s not impossible.

But I digress…

I don’t need to know every detail of every moment of anyone’s lives for any reason, not even to select the President of the United States. I most certainly do not need wild and off-the-cuff speculation, rumor mongering, or personal talking head opinion either … not from my news sources. If I want to read that kind of crap, I’d grab a tabloid while standing in the grocery store checkout lane and read it. Whatever that stuff is on all the 24 hour news channels, it is barely news and isn’t at all journalism. It’s disgusting, and it’s only going to get worse the closer we get to November.

A body language expert on the news. Yeah, I can’t wait to see what kind of experts they have on in October!

I’m putting a parental block on all the news channels except our local ones. Lin’s recent addiction to them is high on the list that very well make my head truly explode.