i have a problem. politics really frustrate me and tend to cause a downward spiral for my mood, but i am feeling the need to get clear on this one. can someone point me towards a factual outline of the candidates (both P and VP) experience? and their views on the issues? is there anywhere that this is clearly outlined or do i have to scour the webs for eleventybillion articles?

http://www.wqad.com/Global/Link.asp?L=259460

no, i don't need a wikipedia article. i already know where they stand on the things i am most concerned about so my mind is made up, i just want to know more about them both so that i can hear the conversations and read the articles with background.

obama's site does a pretty good job of outlining his positions on a whole lot of stuff. http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

fair enough.

I've long been a big fan of Project Votesmart. www.votesmart.org
Click the candidates link at the top and youll find more than you ever really wanted to know.

Also, one of my favorite sources is Real Time With Bill Maher. Typically, his mixed panel of intellectuals, politicians, and celebrities really allows for open and uninhibited dialog about topics that I've been unable to find anywhere else. It can be both really enlightening, and frustrating at times, but there really is nothing else like it that I've found on TV, radio, or the intarwebz.

If you don't have HBO, there is a free audio podcast of the show available on iTunes.

The Daily Show I've found does the best job of cutting through the static in an entertaining way. You have to be kinda hip to current events to get the jokes, though.

Though they are kinda left leaning commies, I like NPR for when I'm stuck in my car. Though they're stories are lefty leaning, they're nice and long and usually give both sides a pretty fair treatment. The problem with most news audiences and media tastes today is that most people have short attention spans, even those who tune into dedicated news services, like CNN. So news broadcasters and journalists try to keep things short, and you get a barrage of unconnected blurps with no one really connecting the big picture for you. My brother just took some journalism classes at a large, respectable state university and the prof told them that for print journalism you HAVE to get your main points down in the first 500 words, because most people aren't going to bother reading past the first page of your article anyway.

I like NPR because they'll spend 5-10 minutes looking at the main events of the day, then 20-30 mins delving into one topic and really picking it apart. The other advantage of NPR is that you don't have to take time out of your way to listen to it if you're a 9-5 commuter.