Rhetorical nakedness

On the tenth week of the Hollywood writers' strike, I'm wondering what will happen if this virulent bug spreads to the campaign offices of the Presidential candidates. What if there's a walk-out in D.C. by the hard-working hordes who coin the phrases "It's the economy, stupid" and this year's mantra, "change"?

In the last months, Ms. Clinton alone has had more political facelifts than a cat has lives, now on her 11th slogan as she replaces the misfiring Iowa persona, "the Hillary I know," with New Hampshire's Hillary of the common man: "I'm here to identify with the little people."

The prospect of this frightening rapture (the biblical kind) conjures mortifying moments in history, such as when Milli Vanilli's pop fame came to a screeching halt in a 1989 concert when the CD they were lip-syncing to got stuck and they were left…screeching. Or when silent movies gave way to the "talkies" and heartthrob John Gilbert was found (gasp!) to have a squeaky voice.

Talk about the Emperor having no clothes. I don't know what's worse --- seeing our leaders in public physically naked, or rhetorically naked.

What if it turns out they don't have any real ideas?