Red state, blue state, green state?

On St. Patrick's Day everybody wears green. The Celtics, the Packers, the winner of The Masters golf tournament claim green as a signature color. Yoda just wouldn't be your favorite Jedi master if he were any other hue. It's the color that signifies the onset of spring. M & Ms just wouldn't be the same without green.

Green is the reason John McCain will lose the general election.

No, not because of the environment (though that's another point of contention...). It's his campaign logo.

Breaking with tradition and eschewing the patriotic standard red, white, and blue, McCain has instead opted for white lettering on a kelly green background. A bold attempt to stand out from the standard regardless of the negative subliminal message it conveys.

My Dad is a stock car enthusiast and he took my sister and I to tracks as kids. We would pick out favorites to win based solely on the look of the car until we were told never to pick the green car. The color is considered unlucky in racing.

In high school I was in a few theatre productions and in one play I was the villain. My costume was a green suit. My drama coach informed me that characters who needed a negative reaction from the audience were frequently dressed in green and that it had the psychological effect of inducing disdain.

Envy is a mortal sin. "Green with envy" anyone?

We all know the altruism "money is the root of all evil". American dollars are referred to as "greenbacks" for the reverse-side dye. To go even further, gamblers consider the fifty dollar bill to be unlucky and refuse to carry them.

Dr. Banner turns into a raging green monster when angry, transforming himself and his rage into the Incredible Hulk.

The Wicked Witch of the West?

While the intention to show the "maverick" nature of the candidate, McCain's handlers have made an unintentional error in trying to visually convey that message.

Perhaps a lesson can be learned from one who knows the ins and outs of that precarious color, Kermit the Frog: "it's not easy being green"