America is the home of hype. Realty is lightly regarded and truth is as expendable as a used Kleenex. That’s what keeps tabloid publications alive. That’s what fuels round-the-clock TV news, web sites like You Tube and all the other so-called information outlets.

Even the President freely resorts to “spin” (for examples, see Scott McClellan’s just-published book), not to mention the Vice President and other national leaders. Theater is everywhere – even in church.

Americans are hooked on drama. Nowhere is it more true that “all the world’s a stage.” From used car ads to presidential press conferences, the show must go on.

It’s no wonder that some people insist the “moon landing” was faked. There’s not much of a line between news and illusion in the good old USA.

That’s probably why I harbor the bizarre suspicion that the nomination battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama might be a public relations stunt, designed to keep the Democratic Party on the front pages and all over the TV, from Jay Leno, Saturday Night Live and the Colbert Report to CNN, MSNBC and Fox.

Could some clever public relations consultant have come up with the script?

What other explanation could there be for Clinton’s strange behavior, Obama’s mad-hatter clergymen, the noisy crowd at yesterday’s Rules Committee meeting?

The script could have – must have – been written by one of those B-movie hacks, the ones who come up with gems like “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.”

Has a deal already been struck for the book? Is the movie about to go into production? Are the lecture tours being arranged as I write this? In short, will the so-called nomination battle not only boost the Democratic turnout in the general elections but also make billions for a bunch of smart operators with vivid imaginations?

Nah… Not even in America. Right?