Out there in voter land lies an enormous target of opportunity, the chance to add real value to the political debate. If we don't take aim at it fast, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, and Oracle will. Here's a fast cut at what we have in mind:

Project Premise: The U.S. presidential campaign is putting voters to sleep coast-to-coast. With tactical deployment of Microsoft software, the public can be dramatically re-energized, our sales will skyrocket, and the blessings of liberty will be secured for ourselves and our posterity.

Project name: WinVotes 96^TM

Code Name: Snooze

Major Features:

DebateSpace^TM Compression

Normally, data compression removes repetitive patterns in images or sounds to reduce them to a manageable size for storage or transmission purposes. Why not apply it to--the vice-presidential debates, for example? Remove the redundancy from 90 minutes of back-and-forth political yammering, and you get:

Gore: "I won't talk about chlorofluorocarbon abatement if you won't tell any football stories."

Kemp: "Cut taxes for growth and never bomb before breakfast."

Gore: "That would blow a hole in the deficit, put the economy in a barrel, and send it over Niagara falls. We'll give you targeted tax cuts that will balance the budget while protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and the environment."