The Toronto Star is doing a six-part series on various aspects of life in the U.S. of A. leading up to Dubya taking repeating the presidential oath one last time on Thurdsay.

Here's an index to it:

Jan. 15: U.S. conservatives gunning for presidential payoff

Jan. 16: Young, affluent and in the family way

Jan. 17: Bible vs. science war rages on in classrooms

Jan. 18: NASCAR culture

Jan. 19: Conservatives and broadcasting

Jan 20: How Bush will frame the future in his inauguration

It's not a bad series, but the choice of topics isn't groundbreaking. The NYT's David Brooks has written about the natalists (see Jan. 16 above). "NASCAR dads" was an election-year cliche. What new can be said about conservatives and broadcasting?

I find it curious there isn't one part that is dedicated to the burning question of: What does four more years of Dubya mean to Canada? How do the shell-shocked Democrats regroup?

That kinda stuff.