I was in a friend's car coming back from Ocean City at the end of August when I first saw it. Maybe I just haven't been paying attention, but I was honestly surprised by the sight.
No, it wasn't a stink bug, or a wavering drunk driver.
It was an "Obama 2012" bumper sticker on a car in front of us.
"Great," I thought. "It's still 2011, right?"
My pocket planner did indicate that it was still 2011, but the calendar is, as usual, no match for political campaigns.
So, apparently, the presidential election is already in full swing.
Yes, the Republican debate was on TV the other night, but with that "Obama 2012" sticker shocking me on the way back from vacation, I feel like it was all creeping up even sooner than normal, or maybe just sooner than I would like.
That made me think about what kind of person I might even want (or not want) in the Oval Office come 2013, which made me think of the movies.
There have been plenty of great portrayals of the role of U.S. president in TV and movies — "The West Wing," "24," "Independence Day" — but my favorite is actually from the animated film "Monsters Vs. Aliens."
The president in "Monsters Vs. Aliens" is charismatic, extremely confident and not that interested in the more technical aspects of his job.
He tries to take on a menacing group of alien invaders single-handedly, but later gets scared, setting the country's terror level at "code brown" because he needs to change his pants.
After the aliens destroy much of the West Coast, the president sits down for a meeting where his advisor presents a preliminary plan for rebuilding San Francisco.
"Zoinkers! This is gonna be a boring one," the president says. He then tries to hit a button that makes a cup of coffee, but accidentally hits one that deploys the country's whole nuclear arsenal.
I guess the idea is we don't really want a goofy, overly cocky president who is successful largely through dumb luck and personal charm.
Then again, maybe we do, since a lot of the candidates we get seem to fit that bill. At least a cartoon president would be entertaining.
I don't really know who I want in the Oval Office, and I think I have some time to decide, at least while the calendar still reads 2011. (Please, hold the robocalls.)
One thing I can say is I don't especially envy anyone who runs for a major political office.
And honestly, while it's the easiest thing in the world to berate whoever is president at a given time, being at the helm of the United States is a role I wouldn't wish on anyone.
Presidential libraries and legacies aside, I think it has to be one of the most thankless jobs in the world.
So maybe all I can say at this point is, I wish the candidates the best of luck. They're going to need it. We're all going to need it.