I was riding up the elevator this morning with a fella that works on the 4th floor of the Spokesman-Review building on Northwest Boulevard. As I was about to get off, he asked why the country is caught up in political extremes. Either we're run by the Far Left, with Obama & Pelosi in charge, or we're run by the Far Right, with Tea Party candidates in charge. There doesn't seem to be a middle -- and few choices on the ballot that are anywhere near the middle.

Question: Can you answer his question re: why we're so polarized and lack middle-ground choices among the various political races?