A liberal pal of mine asked if I thought Joe Biden deciding today not to run for president “made things clearer.” I guess, a little. But only marginally more edifying. Consider:

The leading Republican is a loud-mouth, narcissistic showman whose ego has 11 time zones, who has no fixed ideological address, and who knows as much about world affairs as your Aunt Eunice. The leading Democrat is a harridan and sociopath whose policies (at least until polls and/or focus groups tell her other policies would be more beneficial to her politically) are to the left of George McGovern and sound like the sort of things Central American caudillos are forever promising the peasants. 

This week one party has been waiting to hear if a superannuated serial plagiarizer who should be wearing a big red rubber nose and size 30 shoes is going to get into the race. The other party is waiting to hear if a boring wonk with an anesthetizing Midwest honk would deign to do the world a favor by becoming Speaker of the House, but only if he could “unify” the party, without anyone thinking to ask what the hell unifying the party means (I’m pretty sure it means conservatives have to shut up).

And it’s only Wednesday. This sort of thing could give clarity a bad name. (Oh, and did I mention? Charlie Crist is back in the public eye, ear, nose, and throat.