PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

There I was a few days ago sitting with my wife in the middle of the Garonne River in Bordeaux, France listening to an excellent singer helping all of us celebrate a great evening under the stars.

He sang two Simon & Garfunkel tunes, including these words:

• From The Boxer: “I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises. All lies and jests. Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”

• From Mrs. Robinson: “…going to the candidates’ debate. Laugh about it. Shout about it. When you’ve got to choose, every way you look at it you lose.”

And what did these words convey?

Not necessarily what they were meant to convey when they were written many years ago.

For me, they jerked me back to the mind-numbing reality of the U.S. presidential campaign as the two candidates – Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton – prepare for the first presidential debate, which promises to draw the largest television audience in history.

One reason is that both candidates exemplify the words from the Mrs. Robinson tune – “when you’ve got to choose, every way you look at it you lose.”

There have not been two presidential candidates in history who engender so much opposition and distrust.

On one hand sits Trump who doesn’t even have the basic qualifications to serve in the nation’s highest office, yet that very fact may be what prompts some citizens to say they will vote for him. As the song says, illustrating the apparent views of many voters “still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”

On the other hand, you have Clinton who inspires almost nothing but distrust, given her checkered record over more than 25 years in the public arena, including her stint as Secretary of State when she allegedly practiced a “pay to play” approach to her job. Meeting with her appeared to require a lot of money for the Clinton Foundation, which mostly feathered her own nest.

So, while in France for about 10 days, I was not able to escape reminders of a presidential race worth forgetting, even while listening to the good words of Simon & Garfunkel.

Therefore, as a voter, I am preparing to lose.