Can we talk about Tuesday? Beforehand, it seemed likely that Senator Obama would wrap up this Democratic nomination and we could all begin to focus upon beating Senator McCain. Obama had already begun to oppose him rather than his Democratic opponent, Senator Clinton. But Ms. Clinton did not receive Mr. Obama’s memo. Instead, she’d been fighting him with everything I hate about politics: fear, sarcasm, even disdain. She mocked; she taunted; she cut him down. Some accused her of dirty politics; others called her shrill. Maybe it wasn’t dirty, but it was far from squeaky clean. In response, Mr. Obama took the high road. Ellen Goodman pointed out that like the “victor” in a divorce, the high road was available to him. While he didn’t pull out the gloves—or the claws—he condescended, echoing obnoxious high school superiority as he’d done during an earlier debate when he’d said dismissively, “Hillary is likeable enough.” While he hints at her female weaknesses, she doubts his capability without subtlety in her ominous 3 AM advertisement. Let’s agree that no one is playing nice anymore.

Hillary’s tears or Barack’s audacious hope, I like both. I am inspired by people who care deeply about making this world a better place, so much so that I will put aside votes I disagree with (even her first Iraq vote) or proposals that disappoint me deeply (his health care policy). If these candidates are truly committed to working toward peace and meaningful access to health care, reproductive rights, improved education, and stemming climate change, I can swallow a few disappointments along the way. The art of inclusive, collaborative policy making is essential right now. The road to change can’t be cowardly and it can’t be vague. Telling the truth is necessary: about what war is costing us in dollars and lives and how far out of reach health care is for so many and how millions more children are living in poverty than a decade ago and how many bridges are at risk of collapse and what a warming world means in terms of how many “natural” disasters we will imminently face…

Tuesday threatened to preclude substantive discussion about the most pressing issues—and not just between Democratic candidates—for another eight weeks. Battles of personality and insubstantial questions of gender versus race or age versus youth or pragmatism versus idealism, let alone the endless polls that seem to be making this whole contest into a contest rather than a meaningful search for our next President, appears to be what we’ll face far into April. All this fluff comes with a ridiculously high price tag to boot.

The democratic, electoral process is supposed to be an actual process. Given that the Democratic Party hasn’t secured its candidate yet, back room deals are probably out of order. And in electoral politics, when punches are being thrown, ignoring them doesn’t seem to work, either. Thus, the risk is for a slugfest. Here’s my plea: for true democracy—its spirit intact—to prevail, the gloves must be discarded. Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton must act as colleagues who disagree on certain points and are stylistically different and bring distinct gifts to the table. They must not only find their respect for one another, but also assure that respect remain sacred. Given that negative campaigning probably saved Ms. Clinton’s bid this week, it’s extremely unlikely that either will heed this plea.

What I’d like to see instead is for candidates to reveal their deepest hopes and dreams. I’d like a chance to elect the Al Gore of An Inconvenient Truth versus the Al Gore of 2000. Dare I say it? The high road—high as in inspired—compels me. The rest disheartens me. That’s my vote.