There is a palpable unease within the Democratic Party. After all, why hasn't Barack Obama pulled away from John McCain in the polls?

Here we are with a struggling economy, an unpopular war, high gas prices, mortgage meltdown and an old coot with a wicked temper running for the Republicans. Shouldn't the urbane and unflappable Obama be ahead by at least 14 points? What is wrong with Americans?

Obama himself has questioned the wisdom of voters, wondering at a gathering in San Francisco why, with all our tribulations, voters do not cry: "Toss the bums out. We're starting from scratch. We're starting over."

If only it were so simple.

It's often said that loathing an opposing candidate is not enough for victory. And aversion to George Bush is not enough of a reason on its own to spur a realignment of the electorate. This election, in fact, despite the fruitless attempts of Obama, is a traditional battle between the left and the right. It's about policy and, the worst distraction of all, politics.

Initially, Obama seemed unwilling to participate in this repugnant world. On the other side, the more aggressively political McCain has become the more Republicans seem to believe they actually can win this thing.

Candidates, of course, should not take elections too personally. Any two generic nominees are likely to split the nation in half. Our fundamental attitudes about the world do not change simply because we're stuck with an incompetent president, a bad spot in the economy or a spiffy ad.

At some point, though, we need to hear where candidates stand on policy. This is where Obama struggles. There is no "we" in politics.

The first sign of trouble was energy. As soon as gas prices approached $4 a gallon, Republicans, sensing real anger, demanded more domestic energy production. Democrats found themselves in a dangerous spot. As sentinels of Earth's well-being, they were unwilling to cede that more drilling should be even part of a solution, calling it a "gimmick" and a "hoax."

Well, now nearly every Democrat, including Obama, supports this "hoax." It's the sort of convenient policy shift that reminds us of … well, of every politician who has ever walked the planet.

Such political calculations have been the trademark of Obama. On public financing for his campaign, immigration policy, international trade and retroactive immunity for phone companies, it's been about political expediency.

Obama recently told evangelical preacher Rick Warren that the most difficult decision he ever has made was his opposition to the Iraq invasion (while in the Illinois legislature). Yet even in his defining issue, Obama has modified his position as polls dictate.

So when we throw the bums out for the sake of change, what will we be changing to? What kind of policies would replace the ones wrought by those bums? Politics as usual.

Not long ago, Americans rightly threw Republican bums out of Congress, only to have them replaced by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, two of the most ineffective political leaders in the memory of the republic.

Polls show that Congress now holds a lower approval rating (in the single digits) than the famously low approval rating of the president.

McCain, let's not forget, faces an enormous uphill battle, lacking money, excitement and support. He certainly has flipped and flopped with the best of 'em.

But in the end, this country is divided between right and left. Higher taxes or lower? Pro-choice or pro-life? Stay in Iraq or leave? Whatever your issue, there is no "we" in compromise. Why should there be? It's not about candidates; it's about policy.

And this election, despite the grandiose talk, is still about a narrowly divided nation.

It always has been.

David Harsanyi is a columnist at The Denver Post and the author of "Nanny State." Visit his Web site at www.DavidHarsanyi.com. To find out more about David Harsanyi and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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