Over the past several months Republican Party candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul have become better known in this country than many of our hard-working federal politicians.

That also goes for failed presidential hopefuls Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann and more recently Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman, the lone candidate who wasn’t ideologically hot-wired to the Tea Party’s platform.

Mr Huntsman, a former Utah governor, perfectly summed up the race’s less savory qualities when he told Fox News and AP he was dismayed at the “toxic” environment candidates were creating: “Rather than trying to advance our common goal, this race has degenerated into an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy of the American people.”

Sure, take all the fun out of it. What could be more fun, for instance, than watching Mr Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, sweating bullets trying to defend a health care plan he implemented in his home state, a plan that was the inspiration for the controversial “Obama-care” legislation introduced by president Barack Obama.

I can’t imagine a greater death blow to Mr Romney’s hopes if, as expected, he wins the GOP nomination, than for President Obama to lay the entire credit for his “socialist” health care plan at Mr Romney’s doorstep and proclaim, “Thanks, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The race to be chosen the Republican nominee for the White House, to win a shot to unseat America’s first black president, has indeed become superheated with Mr Gingrich’s unexpected win in South Carolina over the weekend.

I wouldn’t be surprised if more money has been spent by Republican candidates on attack ads in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries than in the entire Canadian election cycle, which, mercifully for many craving excitement, is less than six weeks long.

The mesmerizing primary season seems to stretch forever, and that’s not even the main event, since the general election is in November.

The long march to the presidency just gets curiouser and curiouser, especially when the front-runner, Mr Romney is tarred in a fierce attack ad for being proficient in speaking French.

I guess it doesn’t pay to be too educated when running for the land’s highest office. Just ask Michael Ignatieff.

Many Canadians watching cable news network coverage must be amused and shocked by what they see in candidates debates, scrums and exclusive interviews with breathless, blow-dried TV journalists. 

The Republican race to the White House is compelling theatre and the candidates, all on what might be considered the extreme right if they were running in Canadian politics, say ridiculous things as if they were hard, flinty truths that cannot be challenged.

Believe it or not the dirtiest blow in the race appears to be the slur “he (she’s) a moderate.” 

What I thought at first would be a sure-fire cure for insomnia has instead kept me awake into the wee hours, eyes glued to the screen watching the debates and then the exhaustive analysis with pundits representing every hue of the political spectrum.

If only our elections were as riveting. 

Then again, I’m reminded of that cautionary phrase, “be careful what you wish for.”

Jim Brown