It is FAR TOO EARLY for me to be paying attention to this.

It's 7:00 am, election day, and already there is talk of malfunctioning voting machines and long lines dissuading voters; small groups of white lawyers are apparently forming outside voting stations to skulk like schoolyard punks trying to scare black voters away, while CNN grills a ten-year-old boy about the electoral college.

President Barack Obama. Just say it out loud once; it's a strange mixture of syllables, flying in the face of the long list of 'American' names that've held that title: Washington, Jefferson, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Carter, Clinton, Bush - McCain fits in so well among these, whereas 'Obama' (I'm sure in some minds) conjures up images of witch doctors and jungle drums in the White House.

Here's the thing: you can talk until your blue in the face about Joe The Plumber and tax cuts - this election IS about race.

Here's another thing: this is not really such a bad thing, because if it IS about race, it just means that we're at least getting the subject out in the open.

(And by 'we' I of course mean 'you guys down there in the U.S.', because I'm up here in Canada and apparently our elections are about hockey and sweater vests.)

I have to go now and stop my daughter from eating...well, everything. I'll be back when I have a free hand again.