It comes only every four years. The last time it happened I was a 17-year-old senior in high school and could do nothing but watch America commit its worst mistake yet. I was in the process of applying to SMU, and I was on campus when President Bush was visiting.

Four years later, it appears we should be entering into a new era. The Democrats have quite a variety of candidates, two of whom, if they win, will break the streak of our country having only white, male, Christian presidents. The Democratic base is also showing signs of progress, a willingness to vote for a candidate that is more moderate than any other candidate on the Democratic party’s voting ballot. That candidate would be Barack Obama.

The Republicans, needless to say, have not changed a bit. Their conservative base is still judging their candidates in terms of their religion, still judging them in terms of their stance on abortion and church leaders are still in control of the masses as who they should vote for. Sad. The only moderate and potentially great candidate for the Republicans is John McCain, but he has been dubbed “too liberal.”

Personally, I’m endorsing Obama 100 percent because unlike others, I have moved from on the Clinton era. Hillary Clinton is running a two-headed monster sort of campaign by riding on her husband’s past success. She strikes me as power hungry and just not trustworthy. What made me sway for Obama? When the candidates were asked in a debate to describe their weaknesses, Obama was the only one that could actually point out that he is, like all of us, imperfect. The other two candidates? One is too passionate about helping people the other one is too eager to be president. Yeah right.

I really love this time in America and I’m hoping to see just how SMU gets heated up. We all know SMU is Republican heaven, but how exactly will the Republican base argue for one of its candidates when the one still in office has split up the nation, pushed for a new Vietnam and tries to fix the economy by giving money away?

The one thing I do know about Republicans is that they can never be wrong. Also, everything is the “liberal media’s” fault. However, the Democrats have their own faults too.

As for me, I like to think of myself as a moderate. In other words, as a “stop the childish fight” kind of guy.

We need a president who can unite us once more and push this nation out of the hole we have been put in. Only two candidates have this will and determination:Obama and McCain. Now, if we could only get them to run on the same ticket…

Daniel Olivares

SMU Sophomore