I see both McCain and Obama as two excellent presidential candidates for America. I think this is the first time that the two main contenders for the US presidency are both populists, progressives and ideological environmentalists. In fact, I admire both of them. I praised and cheered for McCain on many internet forums during the Republican primaries. I did bet then on the internet that McCain will win the Republican primaries. And McCain did win the official Republican nomination for the US presidency. I also praised and cheered for Obama upon so many internet forums during the Democratic primaries. I wrote many pro-Obama pieces all over the internet in advocating the fact that he (Obama) deserves to be the official nominee of the Democrats for the US presidency. And I'm glad that Obama did win the Democratic primaries. I'm really happy that McCain and Obama won their respective primaries.
This is now the period when both McCain and Obama are presenting their respective agendas, cases and political programs to the American people, so that one of them will be properly elected to the White House. I can say with optimism that a victory by either one of them will make America become more progressive and prosperous in terms of wealth, economics, socio-political stability, global leadership and technological and scientific advances. Both McCain and Obama have outstanding leadership qualities that will properly guide the USA and, to a certain extent, the whole free world in facing the current challenges and crises that are now threatening the current global civilization that we humans have. Both McCain and Obama are responsible enough to help the whole world in resolving the environmental degradations that the whole humanity is facing right now.
John McCain's cultural and political image has been presented by Wikipedia in this way:
'John McCain's personal character has been a dominant feature of his public image. This image includes the military service of both himself and his family, his maverick political persona, his temper, his admitted problem of occasional ill-considered remarks, and his close ties to his children from both his marriages.
McCain's political appeal has been more nonpartisan and less ideological compared to many other national politicians. His stature and reputation stem partly from his service in the Vietnam War. He also carries physical vestiges of his war wounds, as well as his melanoma surgery. When campaigning, he quips: "I am older than dirt and have more scars than Frankenstein."
The Arizona senator considers himself to be a straight-talking public servant, and acknowledges also being impatient. Other traits include a penchant for lucky charms, a fondness for hiking, and a sense of humor that has sometimes backfired spectacularly, as when he made a joke in 1998 about the Clintons that was not fit to print in newspapers. McCain has not shied away from addressing his shortcomings, and apologizing for them. He is known for sometimes being prickly and hot-tempered with Senate colleagues, but his relations with his own Senate staff have been more cordial, and have inspired loyalty towards him.
Regarding his temper, McCain acknowledges it while also saying that the stories have been exaggerated. Having a temper is not unusual for U.S. leaders, nor is it unusual for leaders to be passionate and engaged. McCain has employed both profanity and shouting on occasion, and such incidents have become less frequent over the years. Senator Joe Lieberman has made this observation: "It is not the kind of anger that is a loss of control. He is a very controlled person." Senator Thad Cochran, who has known McCain for decades and has battled him over earmarks, has expressed concern about a McCain presidency: "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me." Ultimately Cochran decided to support McCain for president, after it was clear he would win the nomination.
All of John McCain's family members are on good terms with him, and he has defended them against some of the negative consequences of his high-profile political lifestyle. His family's military tradition extends to the latest generation: son John Sidney IV ("Jack") is enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy, son James has served with the Marines in Iraq, and son Doug flew jets in the Navy."' _____ Taken from (Main article: Cultural and political image of John McCain ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain .
Obama's cultural and political image has been presented by Wikipeida in this way:
'With his Kenyan father and white American mother, his upbringing in Honolulu and Jakarta, and his Ivy League education, Obama's early life experiences differ markedly from those of African American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement.
In January 2007, The End of Blackness author Debra Dickerson warned against drawing favorable cultural implications from Obama's political rise: "Lumping us all together," Dickerson wrote in Salon, "erases the significance of slavery and continuing racism while giving the appearance of progress." Film critic David Ehrenstein, writing in a March 2007 Los Angeles Times article, compared the cultural sources of Obama's favorable polling among whites to those of "magical negro" roles played by black actors in Hollywood movies. Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough," Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that the debate is not about his physical appearance or his record on issues of concern to black voters. Obama said, "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."
In a December 2006 Wall Street Journal editorial headlined "The Man from Nowhere," Ronald Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan advised "establishment" commentators to avoid becoming too quickly excited about Obama's still early political career. Echoing the inaugural address of John F. Kennedy, Obama acknowledged his youthful image, saying in an October 2007 campaign speech, "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."
A prominent part of Obama's political image is a belief that Obama's rhetoric and actions toward political reform are matched with a political savvy that often includes a measure of expediency. In a July 2008 The New Yorker feature article, for example, Ryan Lizza wrote, "(Obama) campaigns on reforming a broken political process, yet he has always played politics by the rules as they exist, not as he would like them to exist."
Although Obama is Christian, July 2008 polls have shown that some Americans believe incorrectly that he is Muslim or was raised Muslim . When CNN's Larry King cited the latter poll, Obama responded, "...I wasn't raised in a Muslim home," and said that advancement of the misconception insulted Muslim Americans.' ______Taken from (Main article: Cultural and political image of Barack Obama ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama .
McCain is still the usual politician that most Americans easily identify with. Obama, because he's bi-racial, young and daring when it comes to accepting new ideas, signifies a new shift away from the traditional political standards that Americans have long been familiar with. That's why the word 'change' has always been dramatically expressed in the Obama presidential-campaign trail. While it is true that McCain is really open to many liberal and new ideas, it can't be denied that Obama represents a shift when it comes to the usual political traditions that Americans have long known for years and even centuries.
McCain wants a tough confrontation against so-called Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq. But the actual Al Qaeda is not in Iraq right now..... And many Americans know that the real Al Qaeda is hiding somewhere between the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. McCain wants the US to rule Iraq for one century. I know that the American people have the sovereign will to make decisions for their own country. And no foreign ruler has a privilege to tell to the American people on how to run their own country. But I hope that the American people will also respect the right of the Iraqi people to be a sovereign nation of their own will and choosing. I'm not suggestying that the U.S. should completely abandon Iraq as a nation moving towards democracy and progress. But I do think that the U.S. Imperialists should completely abandon the occupation of Iraq. Occupying Iraq for 100 years and dictating policies on its people for one whole century don't fit into the moral category of respecting the sovereign will of an independent nation. Such maneuvers will only make foreign rule a tyrannical force inside Iraq. What Iraq needs is close partnership with the whole of the Free World to march towards democracy and progress. What Iraq needs is guidance from the International Community to improve its socio-political and economic conditions. What Iraq needs is coordination with the Free World to defend itself from terrorist forces. Occupying Iraq for 100 years is another way of imposing tyrannical foreign rule over a sovereign people..... And such occupation would certainly be an immoral thing.
McCain seems also dedicated to the idea that somehow the U.S. has the privilege to go beyond the limits that had been set by international law. McCain seems to believe that the U.N. Org has now lost its dignity to be the guiding agency for respecting international law. Hence, he seems to imply that his would-be presidential reign may go against the standards set upon by the United Nations. But we have to remember that the U.N. Organization is the only well-established international alliance today that can maintain the global balance towards respecting international law. It would take many years before some people can set up another organization that may take the place of the U.N. as an international agency dedicated to maintaining the respect for international law. And McCain is no superman who can instantly set up another huge global alliance that can take the place of the United Nations right away.
On the other hand, Obama is seen by many citizens of this planet as a rational, empirical and pragmatic leader who can work gladly with every country in this world for global peace, harmony and cooperation. Obama is also seem by many citizens of this world as someone who can effectively work with the U.N. Organization in promoting free trade and democracy through peaceful and lawful means to the so-called backward countries and regions of this globe.
Obama is also considered by I.Q. experts as one of the smartest presidential candidates that the U.S. nation has ever have when it comes to actual I.Q. measurements. That makes Obama some kind of a genius as a human being. McCain is a veteran politician who made many wise political decisions in the past as U.S. senator. I believe that both McCain and Obama are great intellectuals. I think that Americans should be quite joyful that they now have two amazing gentlemen- McCain and Obama- vying to be as their next chief executive. Both McCain and Obama are great progressives. Both of them are highly-qualified people for the highest political position in the United States. November 4, 2008 would be a wonderful day for the American people to choose their new chief executive who will succeed George W. Bush. Both McCain and Obama represent catalyst influences that can hasten socio-political progress throughout the whole globe.
But I believe it is Obama who can really make a difference when it comes to representing the America to the the global community of nations. Obama can work in a truly-comfortable and compatible way with the sincere forces that represent global peace, harmony and cooperation in this world. Obama is the leader America needs in a world that is presently being threatened by forces that want to destroy international law and the current global civilization that humans have right now.
