Other than the one here in Israel and perhaps arguably Italy it is hard to find a more idiotic way to choose a head of state among democracies than that in the .U.S.

I'm not referring to the direct election of President, a far better idea and more democratic I would argue than voting for a parlimentarian or party slate and them let them choosing the boss man.

Rather, the problem is how the finalists of the two major parties are selected. Part of the problem is structural, part is created by the media.

To qualify for the job these days it seems that one must be willing to spend two years of one's life raising tens of millions of dollars--selling one's soul in the process--and spending much of it and living in hotel rooms in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The purpose of this is to convince perhaps 50,000 untypical Iowans and perhaps a few more New Hampshire zealots, out of a couple of hundred million Americans,  to choose the next Presidential nominee..

Granted, the Iowa winner doesn't always, or most often, even win the eventual nomination and, particularly in the case of Jimmy Carter who started the Iowa boom one wishes he hadn't, but the caucuses  there do play a huge role.

With a margin of less than10,000 votes Barack Obama, the media's fair haired boy anyhow, has been designated as the frontrunner while Hillary Clinton is said to be in desperate shape despited the fact that the latest national polls show her the preferred Democratic candidate of tens of millions more voters than Obama.

From the perspective of the Republican party this may once again be great news as the primary process produces a highly beatable Democratic nominee.

Two elections ago  Al Gore lied his way to victory over Bill Bradley in the primary with the media as willing accomplices. Then when the final debates rolled around Gore was exposed as a know it all wannabe who didn't really know much and someone the electorate could not stand the thought of listening to for four years.

Last election when even a major left wing media effort couldn't get Dennis Kucinich wannbe Howard Dean the nomination they annointed John Kerry whom the Americans found to be an infinitely dislikeable patrician who believed dishonesty was the best policy.

Now, with a little bit of luck (for the GOP) the Democrats will nominate Barack Obama, the ultimate example of affirmative action run amok. For a while, his nomination will be trumpeted as the greatest civil rights victory since Abraham Lincoln's election.

Then it will dawn on the electorate that to elect him would be to promote a junior salesman to CEO merely because he has a good spiel. Eventually they'll listen to the words, rather than the tune, of his message and discover that it is no more than a warmed over version of the wit and wisdom of Rodney King.

Best chance the GOP has to retain the White House.

Come to think of it, this inane system could prove to be, from a Conservative perspective, not so terrible this time around.