As we head into the homestretch of the 2006 election campaign we will be deluged by numerous ads, pronouncements, and debates regarding politicos’ stands on what are considered "key issues". Among these issues will be, like usual, the subject of abortions.

Pardon me while I yawn.

Even though the abortion debate deals with the controversy of life and death - or supposed life or death depending on who’s side of the argument you’re on - it has over time transformed into one of the most boring facets of political banter at the national level.

Nothing ever changes with the debate. Year in and year out it’s the same monotonous struggle, one split along party lines, as the Democrats tend to rant about their pro-choice beliefs and the Republicans choose to expound upon the sanctity of life. Those running for or desiring to stay in office sound eerily similar (depending on party affiliation) person-to-person and coast-to-coast. A republican candidate in Oregon sounds exactly like a republican candidate in Maine, They are trained to spout a canned response that echoes the mores of their party.

You will find a complete lack of ingenuity and creativity in the abortion debate because the politicians know full well it is a waste of efforts. There is no long-term future, as a matter of fact no reality either, to this debate, as it tends to be one that is quite temporary in nature, needed only in the months leading up to an election. They will only mention the issue when they need to pull at the heartstrings of their political base in order to win votes away from the other party.

In some sick, twisted way, Democrats and Republicans are using fetuses for leverage.

That being said, when one casts aside emotion and looks at the abortion debate more logically, one will find it’s an issue based solely on lies. As much as abortion is now being touted by politicos as an issue of grave importance it is will rarely be mentioned while politicians are in power. This basically means that while their names are on the ballot the politicians are crying crocodile tears in order to secure a place in office.

One could probably and rightly assume these politicians could care less about the rights of mothers or, on the other side, the well-being of fetuses. If they did, the abortion issue would manifest itself in all-out political warfare in Washington. It never does. The only ones who keep the argument alive between elections are citizens: the grassroots activists on both sides of the debate.

Over the next three months, we the voters will be told that abortion is the subject du jour. Ignore this bombastic portion of political campaigns because this issue is just a recycled political game being used to get your attention. If you decided to watch old videos of the campaign trail from years ago you would find no difference from the campaigns taking place today in regards to abortion.

It is grandstanding at its finest, an issue defined by black-and-white parameters, where no grey area is allowed to exist and candidates can go on and on like broken records, spouting a meaningless pomposity that has no bearing on their actions in the House or Senate.

Politics really can’t get much more boring than this.