There is an old saying: "Better the devil you know than the one you don't."

This has often been applied to political races, and I've heard a few of my friends make that comment concerning the upcoming election in November.

The problem in this case is that it's more of a choice of two devils you don't really know all that well.

Mitt has a record in politics, government and private employment, and we can pretty well tell where he stands on some issues. Still, what *exactly* he might (try to) do isn't awfully clear on many things. For many conservatives, the fear they most seem to express, at least casually, is that he's a Mormon, which to me seems rather silly. (I don't think he's going to urge passage of a new underwear law for us.)

Barry didn't have much of a record in the Senate and swept into the office with all manner of promises, many of which were a little more than politicial mumbo jumbo. His "open administration" is but one example of his promises of expediency, meant only to sound good, because they certainly haven't been followed. Early on in the 2008 campaign he struck me as a career politician, so I didn't really trust the blather emanating from his lips, but since he was such a terrific speaker I figured many would drink the "hope and change" kool-aid. (That he picked another blowhard career politico for his VP didn't allay my concerns about him.) A second term may reveal more of the man, but is that what a presidency is about? Shouldn't the man (or woman) be known before the office is bestowed? His rumblings about us needing to do something about "gun violence" might be a signal that in a second term his view will "evolve" and he'll urge the signing of the UN arms treaty -- devoid of any recognition or protection of the second amendment. True, he may indeed *not* do that. But the point is that he is also a devil we don't know that well.

So how do you choose between these devils? That's the real question, and I don't have a ready answer. I often take the third-party candidate route, since I'd rather vote for someone, as opposed to voting against someone. It's almost more of a "devil you kind of know or the devil you really don't trust." But you still have to figure out which is which.