Much like jurors in the justice system voters often get it right. But also like jurors they are frightening because important decisions are often made by manipulated minds.

There is no denying that the main problem with elections is voters. We can blame John McCain for smearing Obama, or the Swift Boat Veterans for lying about Kerry, or complain about corny insincere appeals to prejudice or greed all we want. The basic fact is, however, that without voters' disinterest in public life and their resultant susceptibility to crass, untrue appeals -- elections would be far more wonderful than they are.

You can never be sure if the results would be different if voters had a brain. Right now, for instance, there would be a real debate about the different types of administrations we could expect from McCain & Obama -- if voters read newspapers or discussed and debated politics. But the outcome is not the point. The whole enterprise would just seem much more legitimate and inspire much more confidence if voters actually knew what they were doing.

I am particularly annoyed that voters form firm opinions about a candidate's general presentation and immediately shake their heads as though betrayed when they learn of the latest manufactured smear. They believe the smear even as they abhor smears because they don't pay enough attention to learn the difference between a smear and a revelation.

I wonder how many voters right now think John Edwards has merely been smeared about his affair even though he has admitted it. The necessary distinctions between realities and made up campaign claims cannot be drawn by people who cynically say they despise politics and then fall victim to its misrepresentations.

I am not the first nor will I be the last by a longshot to notice that voters are ineffective at their jobs. But what is the solution? No reasonable person would support a minimum competency test for voting. But as long as voters remain incompetent, candidates will continue to play upon their incompetency.

If we did not know so before this year, we certainly know now that there are no candidates willing to talk to voters like adults all the time. Obama and McCain were both seen as exceptionally capable of doing so this year. It lasted about five minutes.

Obama, in particular, would like to avoid inanities, since they are harmful to him. On many occasions he has spoken to voters like adults and sometimes it has worked beautifully. But as I write this, I am sure he is making his final decision on a running mate based on how vicious he will be in countering McCain's smears. Let the mud wrestling continue.

But none of us should be surprised that politicians don't speak to voters like adults. Politically speaking, we are not adults.