Continual changes in state election primary dates have become so numerous that even the Web sites that track such things are in disarray. The election season has simply taken on the look of a college spring break bash at a Florida beach.

Add to that all those presidential candidate debated that seem to be on your televison every night, so often that some candidates are starting to think they would be better off shaking a few hands in a supermarket parking lot than standing at lecturns across a huge stage and waiting for the next silly question.

Washington's primary was finally moved to Feb. 19, but it may be a useless election because Republicans say they will ignore the election and choose their delegates in caucuses. Democrats will choose some of theirs in caucuses. Who knows how often that will change? If it stays the same, who will care and why are we spending those millions of dollars on an election that will be virtually worthless?

The election date race to the top has gotten to the absurd stage, laughable if it were not so sad.

For years it was the New Hampshire primary (with midnight polling at Dixville's Notch) and the very prestigious Iowa caucuses. Then there were "Super Tuesdays" and the race was on, only to be about over usually in late spring.

But the 2008 presidential campaign started in 2006 and may be over by next January. The way elections keep being moved up to earlier dates, it becomes a real possibility that the 2008 primary voting will begin in 2007.

Imagine, Christmas carols and Hannikah gifts given while hearing candidate bashing and dirty political tricks on the nightly news, sprinkled with unending television ads of questionable taste.

Something must be done.

Already the Democrats are taking a hard stand on the new date for the Florida primary. The Democratic National Committee voted last Saturday to refuse to seat any delegate to the party's convention if Florida did not delay the date of its primary. Democrats have 30 days to find a date that kept with party rules that prohibit all but four states from holding primaries or caucuses before Feb. 5 and Florida is not one of those.

Republicans are looking at similar strategies.

Setting election dates has always been the purview of state, but that time may be coming to an end. If the parties cannot get together and come up with a rational election schedule in each state, it may be time for some form of national election schedule. There is nothing but chaos now and the confusion and the frustration seem to be in overdrive.

So what? Well, voters are already turned off at national politics. Presidential and Congressional approval rates are at all-time lows. It dislike of politics is drifting to local levels and this disaffection will do more to damage this nation than anything a foreign terrorist can do with improvised explosives.

We do not like the idea of suggesting a national presidential and Congressional election calendar, but we thing the people like even less the idea of caucuses and primary elections at Christmas or even in early December.

The best answer would be for the parties to force their followers in the states to come to an agreement that spaces out the primaries so that each state can be represented in the debate, but not all on the same date.

Then, perhaps we can find a way to have presidential debates less often and with real questions from real people like that recent You Tube debate. While polticians may disdain such questions from average people, that hs how we really find out who has the stuff to be president.

- Jack Mayne