Florida. Yawn.

Those who know me will truly find this jaw-dropping.

I am so detached from politics that I didn't watch one microsecond of the Florida results. And since we are confessing here....I didn't watch the results in South Carolina, New Hampshire, Iowa or even Wyoming.

For me, this whole election is sort of like watching the Super Bowl without a team on the field -- semi-interesting from a historical point of view but my heart just isn't thumping as the decisive moment of victory or defeat takes shape.

Watching the debates has been infuriating. Not an unscripted, unrehearsed-t0-death moment yet. While that hasn't bothered me in political years of the past, it bothers me to the point of rage this year.

Here's the cold reality of the situation -- if the best conservative portions of the Republican candidates could be blended together, then I wouldn't be so horrified at what we are facing this fall. Last year I walked away from this process not only because of a new baby in our lives but also because I was truly disgusted by all things political.

It wasn't the ugliness of politics -- heaven knows I am unfortunately used to that unsavory part of the business. Perhaps it was being too close for too long to watching the sausage being made......needed a break from the sausage factory.

(Note: Truth? I'm being coy. I know pretty precisely why I took the year off. After all, I had some time to think about it. I'll let the reasons why come out when the time is right. In the meantime, speculate away. The sausage factory theory is pretty close, though.)

The situation is truly impossible. There is the correct political thing to do and then, there is the correct moral thing to do and frankly, for the first time in my voting life, those two things have not converged in the slightest. In fact, in the past, we have faced Presidential choices that we have "settled for" but at least at the margins, the political and the moral edges touched, even if it was ever so slightly. There was hope and at least a passing aquaintence with conservatism that didn't smack of political expedience and a fist full of talking points.

There are reasons to vote for and against each and every one of the Republican candidates and each case is compelling. I have friends involved in all of the races and the divisions run along the fault lines of the Republican Party itself.

There have been columns and blog postings by the dozens predicting the demise of the Party. While I wouldn't ever wish for the demise of the Party, I do not believe that change is a bad thing. Perhaps some really blunt conversations can take place now. There have been several factions within the Party that sit around tables in Washington and throughout the nation that smile at each other across the room and as soon as they are out of earshot from each other, plot to get the upper hand. The minefields and fault lines are exhausting to navigate.

Family fights can be cathartic. Even purifying. There may not be a resolution that everyone likes, but at least things can finally be truly discussed. Social conservatives have felt like red-headed stepchildren of the Party and fiscal conservatives have felt as though social conservatives never stop whining and demanding. Then there are some other factions running about that are also part of the family and have their list of complaints as well.

Growing pains can hurt, but they aren't always a bad thing. Some good things can come out of them even though the changes might seem drastic at the time.

Watching all of this, popcorn in hand, I try to keep the adage that my wise mother used to tell me about elections....."No matter who is elected President, we'll be washing the same dishes the next day..."

Did you ever think you'd actually long for a Bob Dole candidacy again?