ike/A Swiftly Tilting Planet

The incumbent president's scarcity on the campaign trail should not come as much of a surprise. Even his annotated convention speech in St. Paul lacked a certain bluster to which we have become accustomed. Approval ratings in the low 30's certainly will take the spurs off a cowboy.

But something else is happening too. The Bush administration, over the past few months, has begun to fall in line with the recommendations and initiatives articulated by the Obama campaign.

I posted about the amazing convergence on Iraq withdrawal among the Iraqi administration, the Obama campaign and the Bush White House months ago.

Yesterday, in an under the radar story, we witnessed another shift towards national public acceptance of Obama's foreign policy.

Five former secretaries of state, Henry Kissinger and James Baker among them, agreed that the United States should have dialogue with Iran.

So while foreign relations neophyte Sarah Palin was busy saber-rattling on the potential need for war with Russia, some of the most experienced policy minds in the country were agreeing with Obama's core, foreign policy belief: that talking solves problems.

I have never seen, on any level, a campaign as separated from reality as the McCain bunch.