Being a Canadian I do not understand much of American politics other than celebritys seem to be a popular choice for governers. My question is this: Kerry and Bush seem to be on TV almost constantly. When they are not on TV I assume they must be travelling, rehearsing for their campaign publicity shoots as well as preparing for interviews and press conferences. Who runs the country during this intense campaign? I seriously wonder how well the administration can keep it’s eye on running the country with so many distractions around them.
Wait–are you telling me the Canadian PM has something to do with how the country is run? 
No, in all countries the presidents, queens, or prime ministers come and go but the bureacracy stays the same. Like in most corporations the less the top executives are in the office the more the workers can get done.
As you know we have a federal system here, perhaps a bit like Canada’s. It is really the 50 state governments and their governors that run the country on a workaday basis.
The President is there for national defense, international relations, wrangling with Congress over new laws, and making pretty speeches. (I’m simplifying of course.) He isn’t normally that important down in the realm of real, ordinary life.