Tracing its way all the way back to the Gospel of St. Matthew in his retelling of the Sermon On The Mount, politicians have used the imagery to inspire their followers. However, Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin appears to have been more influenced by the gambling mecca.

"It's a crapshoot, doncha know," aw-shucked the folksy mother of at least five and wife of at least one alleged felon, "and John McCain and I are gambling with the future of this country. John loves the wheel. And from Arizona I can see Mexico, which makes me an expert in foreign policy. Cut taxes, don't point fingers, drill now.... oh sorry, it's hard to stop." When pointed out that Las Vegas is in Nevada, not Arizona, the Alaska governor just shrugged. "I'll answer the way I want to answer, not the way the mainstream mapmakers want me to."

Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden literally phoned it in, sending maps and corrections via data transmission. "Fax matter," he asserted, chuckling at his own witticism.

Even though no one asked him to comment, National Surrealist presidential candidate George Papoon interrupted our coffee break to announce that he only watched three minutes of the debate before turning to Animal Planet. "Not insane!" he said, a little sadly.