It’s August and it’s hot.

We’re not just referring to the temperature outside, but also to the race for the White House.

During a time when candidates for the Oval Office typically take a breather, both sides are gearing up for a full-fledged assault on the opposition.

The Bush campaign is expected to spend millions during an August television advertising blitz while John Kerry and John Edwards plan a virtual non-stop barnstorming of rural America.

From New York to California to Suffolk, voters are paying attention to this race like no other in recent memory and it appears most minds have been made up for some time.

It was announced Wednesday that more than 20 top musical acts including R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and the Dixie Chicks are planning an unprecedented series of concerts in nine swing states as fund-raisers in the effort to oust the president. Beginning Oct. 1 in Pennsylvania, the organizers plan as many as six concerts a day in what are considered the other battleground states – North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and Florida.

Locally, one need look no further than the News-Herald’s editorial page to gauge the passion voters feel. From a single pro-Kerry letter published nearly two weeks ago, supporters of the president have inundated the newspaper with eloquent defenses of the president and dire warnings of impending doom should Kerry win.

The bottom line is that Americans are in for an exciting dash to the finish line. The election of 2004 may or may not be a life or death struggle for the future of our nation. Regardless, an energized electorate that is paying attention has to be a good thing for our democracy.