When I worked at Naval Reactors, we had a shorthand for statements no one could argue with. Someone would say something and someone else would just say "motherhood." Everyone understood the shorthand: what you just said is like motherhood and apple pie. Everyone's for it.

If you haven't seen it, this video will make you laugh (and serve as an intro for this post):

Change is an easy thing for a politician to sell because we all want change. Hardly anyone you meet is satisfied with the government. We all want it to be different and so, saying your for change is like saying your for motherhood and apple pie. Who isn't?

There's only one catch. We all want a different kind of change. Not just Demos and Repubs, but every single person wants something different changed. Next time your favorite candidate says "change" try to double click on what kind of change they're talking about. Chances are you won't get very far. None of the major candidates are being specific about "change."

"But what about Iraq?", you might ask. Certainly, lots of folks are for getting out of Iraq and at least some of the candidates are for that kind of change, aren't they. Yeah, they're saying it, but it's a red herring. Mark my words--none of the candidates in the running, even Obama--will pull out of Iraq once they're responsible for the mess that will be left. They'll all stay and try to clean it up. They don't want that train wreck to be part of their legacy. Hopefully they'll have better ideas than the current administration about what to do.

Change is the pablum of political discourse. Easy to promise and no one can call you one it when you don't deliver. What matters are real proposals. Where are they?