John McCain
For the Republican nomination, John McCain is the clear choice of the remaining candidates. As of now, he has almost won enough delegates to claim victory without the delegates from Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani.
McCain’s vast delegate lead makes him the inevitable choice for Republicans. No matter how hard Mike Huckabee campaigns, or prays, he cannot make up this large deficit.
Since McCain will represent the Republicans in the 2008 presidential race, it is time for Huckabee to drop out of the running. As long as he stays in the race, McCain’s limited funding must partly go to ensure he wins states like Texas and Ohio.
It is understandable that Huckabee, and Ron Paul for that matter, want to make their own respective ideological views heard. However, they have had their time to make an impact and need to accept defeat graciously like Romney and Guiliani.
McCain offers a unique blend of moderate views that build consensus, leadership ability and service experience that qualify him to serve as America’s leader. While he may not be a “true” conservative’s dream candidate, McCain is the best the party has to offer to lead America beyond the partisan politics of the past.
Barack Obama
On the Democratic side, Barack Obama is our candidate of choice because of his inspiring campaign that has built a coalition of a diverse group of people from all walks of life.
Hillary Clinton is a solid candidate for her leadership ability and vast foreign policy knowledge. However, her inability to inspire large numbers of Americans the way Obama has over the course of the campaign season works against her.
Obama has been able to stir the hearts of liberals, moderates and even some conservatives to once again believe in the greatness of America.
His ability to inspire people to believe in themselves, democracy and America is a unique quality that does not come around often. It is mainly for this reason that Obama should be considered on the Democratic side.
Another quality that Obama brings to the table is trust. This may be one of the most important qualities for the 2008 president, because it can restore Americans’ faith in the presidency.
After the Lewinsky scandal and the vast secrecy of the Bush Administration, many Americans have lost faith in the executive branch. If Obama can inspire trust and hope among Americans, he must be the Democratic nominee.
