Like so many others, Ed Board watched the final presidentialdebate with much interest.

Never before has the country been so polarized in the face of anupcoming presidential election.

Naturally, Ed Board paid extremely close attention to everydetail of the debate. And we noticed something interesting.

They were wearing the same suit.

Bush and Kerry were wearing the same jacket, same shirt, sameAmerican flag on the lapel. They were both wearing red patternedties, the only difference being that Kerry’s was a littledarker, Bush’s a little lighter. Save for a shade of red,they were wearing the exact same outfit.

It was like watching Lurch and a chimpanzee dress up like twinsand argue in front of a TV audience.

How boring and unimaginative!

In a campaign where each candidate is struggling to distinguishhimself from the other, dressing the same does little to help. Thatone shade of red is the only thing separating Bush’s outfitfrom Kerry’s.

Can you imagine a more perfect metaphor for the current state ofpolitics?

In an election where the Democratic candidate’s biggestselling point is that he’s “not Bush,” a singleshade of red between the two seems to be a pretty accuraterepresentation of the situation. The candidates are basically thesame, save for a few variations here and there.

Kerry isn’t Bush; he’s a little different.

Kerry’s tie isn’t Bush’s tie; it’s alittle different, too.

But maybe there was a reason for the identical wardrobes.

Maybe the candidates didn’t want clothing to exercise anyundue influence upon their audience. After all, you have to watchout for people who simply hate the color red and compulsively votefor anyone wearing blue.

It’s a common ailment. It’s called”idiocy,” and it affects many Americans each year.

There were dozens of other factors that could”subconsciously influence” people. Kerry’s smilewas whiter, he was taller, Bush wasn’t as brightlylit… the list goes on and on. If trying to equalize thecandidates was the reason behind the similarity, it was a dumbidea.

Is a little variety here and there too much to ask for?

Ed Board is [pardon the pun] bored with seeing the same oldthing over and over. We want to see something fresh andinteresting!

Come out dressed in an orange pinstripe zoot suit! That’dswing some votes, guaranteed.