Sep. 7--Now that the party conventions are over and there is broad agreement in both camps that each has energized its base, reached out to undecided and independent voters and placed itself at the vanguard of change, we are cautiously optimistic that a serious and high-minded debate of the most pertinent issues facing the nation will ensue.

But we concede that might be asking too much.

Change is the watchword of this presidential race, and neither party can be said to hold the exclusive franchise to it. Sen. John McCain has rightly laid claim to his standing as a maverick in the Republican Party, and his choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate points to a willingness to think outside the box.

Democratic nominee Barack Obama, too, has tried to position himself as the quintessential change agent in this election, and there is no doubt that his candidacy represents a stark departure from the party politics of the past. Of course, his vice presidential pick, Sen. Joe Biden, is the ultimate Washington insider, which somewhat undercuts the promise of change at the top of the ticket.

If both sides are as committed to change as they profess, they will conduct their respective campaigns as honorably and positively as the times demand. Comparing and contrasting each other's records has always been a staple of presidential politics and is to be expected in a contest where the differences between the candidates are as pronounced as this one.

Personal attacks, fear-mongering and playing fast and loose with the truth, however effective they might have proven to be in past election cycles, have no place in the coming campaign and we hope that neither candidate will engage in such tactics. Some of the partisan sniping that we heard from both podiums in the recent conventions suggests that the forces of negativism are alive and well and just waiting to be unleashed in a steady stream of attack ads this fall, which would be business as usual and beneath the dignity of either candidate.

This is a rare opportunity to elevate the level of political discourse in America by having a meaningful debate on the profound issues that affect the lives of average Americans, every day. To allow this moment in time to pass and the dialogue to descend into the gutter of distortions and disinformation that has come to define modern presidential politics would be to fail the electorate and history. Tell us what you can do for your country, not what your opponent will do to ruin it if elected.

For a change.

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