Pervez Musharraf resigns in Pakistan. Russia threatens Poland -- and the United States. Moscow's tanks roll into the Republic of Georgia. NATO says it cannot talk with Russia for the time being. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez tightens his dictatorship. Darfur continues to suffer. In Ethiopia, famine looms. Scandal and other factors compel the resignation of Israel's prime minister.

The list could go on -- and on.

In 2000, both parties buried foreign policy and national security in the concluding sections of their equally dismal platforms. In 2004, Republicans and Democrats alike led with security issues.

The defense of the realm defines the federal government's principal obligation. Nothing else comes first. Politicians and voters often want to forget. The real world will not let them.