"I'm guessing that as soon as I walk into the voting booth, I'll probably make up my mind then." So said undecided voter Kerry Ladka, appearing on Greta Van Susteren's program after the second presidential debate. He had just compared and contrasted the candidates, giving Mitt Romney the edge on the economy, Barack Obama the nod on "social issues," and saying that the choice was, at least then, a 50/50 proposition for him. But while it's clear that he isn't exactly two whiskers from politics-wonk status, he also misunderstands his civic duty. Imagine you went to a doctor and he said, "You know, you either need an appendectomy or a triple-bypass - I'm not sure. I'm guessing that as soon as I walk into the operating room, I'll probably make up my mind then."  Would you think this practitioner had any business wielding a scalpel? Or might you recommend he refrain in deference to the Hippocratic principle, "First, do no harm"? What's forgotten in a political zeal manifesting itself...(Read Full Post)