Benjamin Franklin once said, "Fish and visitors smell in three days." But what happens when they stay for two years? By now, Iowans are feeling a little fatigued as the 2008 election nears. Iowa, with its first-in-the-nation Caucuses, was the center of the political world from late 2006—when candidates first started announcing that they were running for the presidency—until January 2008 when the Caucuses were held. And ever since Senators John McCain (R-Arizona) and Barack Obama (D-Illinois) clinched their parties’ respective nominations, they’ve both been pressing hard to win this small swing state’s seven electoral votes.

We’ve been inundated with campaign appearances, “I-approved-this-message” commercials, and a never-ending news cycle giving the political play-by-play each and every day. We’ve had a front-row seat to every smiling promise, every scathing accusation, and everything in between. So is anyone even a little fed up?

“At this point, I just want it to be over with,” says Steve Deace, a local talk radio host in Des Moines. “I’m ready for it to be done, but it is kind of a rush, and I’ll be looking forward to the next one.”

Carolyn Haugland, who was the Iowa Communications Director for the presidential campaign of former Senator Fred Thompson (R-Tennessee), says she’ll be relieved on Nov. 5, but understands the importance of voting. “Who governs us and the issues they believe in directly affects our daily lives,” she says.

Carolyn and her husband, Gabriel, have already voted via absentee ballot and said that they were excited to vote for Sen. McCain. “Everybody says that this is every four years, but I believe this is the single most important election we’ve seen in our lifetime.  The difference between the two candidates is stark,” Gabriel says. “Sen. Obama is prepared to take the economy and the culture further left than we’re prepared to go.”

Not everyone agrees that the candidates are so dissimilar, though. Steve Deace contends that one of the reasons people are so ready to get this election over with is that there is not enough contrast between Senators McCain and Obama. “Voters are fatigued because there is not a major-party candidate who can make a convincing case that he is a person of conviction with an integrated view of the world.” He added, “If I were a CEO interviewing those two candidates, I would start the application process over.”

On Friday, Steve announced on his radio program that he will be voting for Sen. Obama. "I’ve finally decided to agree with the majority of my largely conservative audience that has repeatedly attempted to convince me to vote for the lesser of two evils," Steve said on the air. "That’s why I’m voting for Obama." Steve said he is more worried about what is happening with local candidates down the ballot. "What we do with the local infrastructure will have much more impact than Washington," he says.

The campaign stench is almost gone. It's just a matter of hours before polls open and Iowans cast their votes, an event two years in the making. Fatigued or not, we have the privilege—and responsibility—as Americans to practice our right to vote.

Photo: flickr / obo-bobolina