Competition vs Governing

I know this isn't the only headline like this, but this morning it bothers me...(I saw it on the Google News page)

http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTkwMTViNmFjMDA0NmVmZjhkM2YyYmEyM2NhODYzZWQ=

The Campaign Spot
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
BARACK OBAMA
Republicans Should Be So Lucky To Face Obama-Kaine
It doesn't surprise me that Team Obama is looking at Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, although I think the Washington Post is making a bit too much out of their inquiries to Kaine, putting it on the front page and declaring the talks "serious."
etc, etc.

Why does "Republicans Should Be So Lucky to Face Obama-Kaine" bother me?
It represents what's wrong with elections today...its about competition rather than governing. The only thing that matters is that Republicans WIN. Never mind about anything else.
I know there are Democrats who have the same attitude.
And, for many people, even if it were about governing, they'd still pick a Republican or Democrat because the two parties represent different governing philosophies.

For the people who run these campaigns and write about them and observe them; the people whose whole life is about politics, it's a competition. They've gotten themselves so far into the forest looking at individual trees that they don't see what the point of the forest is anymore.

(I wonder if there's a parallel to the people who write in to Matt Rausch's column at TV Guide completely obsessed with the Emmys. They've forgotten that the point of television is to entertain, not so there can be an award show. If that parallel holds true, it would be a reminder that everything should be done in moderation.)

(Or, is there a parallel to relish on a hot dog? I used to eat hot dogs with lots of sweet relish on it. I ate the hot dog only so I could eat relish. Similarly, I used to eat french fries with lots of tartar sauce on it. The fries were only there to help me eat tartar sauce. If those parallels hold true, it would be a reminder to keep in mind what the point is and maybe there's a better way to get there. I could have stuck my fingers in a jar of relish and been just as happy. Hmm...with the hot dog, maybe - but, the french fries were kinda good on their own.)