Watching events in America during these autumn weeks from the vantage point of Europe is like attending a compelling theatrical presentation. While our hatred for the villains is intense and our empathy for the heroines and heroes is at times overwhelming, what is unclear at this point is whether we are watching a comedy or tragedy.

When George Bush ventures to speak in public, the comedic elements, however dark, are obvious. His stumbles and bumbles never fail to summon laughter in our household, especially when cleverly enhanced by a Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert.

But then comes the realization that the class clown has been crowned king, or even worse, gathered unto himself, with the help of fiendish accomplices and cowardly enablers, a dictatorship. Then it is the solemn Greek chorus provided by the eloquent Keith Olbermann that seems most appropriate.

The optimistic hope that America is in her second act, that a credible threat to her survival now enjoys temporary advantage only to be vanquished in time for the joyous conclusion of the third act. Their deus ex machina is the November 7 election which will, they believe, install droves of peace-loving, Constitution-fearing Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate, thereby marking the turning of the tide.

The open-eyed are less sanguine about the future. They remember those marginally engaged voters who have been deciding recent elections based on fear of the Muslims or the gays or the long-extinct hippies, and wonder what $100 million in Republican attack ads can accomplish in the last 2+ plus weeks of the campaign . Then there are the Secretaries of State like Ohio's Ken Blackwell, whose plots to manufacture Republican victories regardless of voter sentiment are expected this year to top even his astonishing performance in 2004. Finally, there's scant hope that even a Democratically controlled House or Senate would put an end to a war-mongering government that has become an enemy of its own citizens.

What is it that is unfolding before our eyes? Will the ghosts of the Founders guide a nearly lost America back to freedom and justice? Or will the faults of hubris and complacency bring about the heart-breaking demise of the nation?