Anyone Else??

Everything seems to be coming together as we surely trek toward the end of 2007. Christmas and New Years are rapidly approaching; the NFL playoff season is just around the corner; the NCAA football bowl season is upon us; and for school age kids, college and high school, the season of semester tests is beckoning. But maybe, just maybe, the most intriguing season of all is the presidential primary season which is just about to open.

For some strange reason the politicos have decided to move the decision making primary season up to early January instead of waiting another month or so. Thus, as we bake the Christmas ham, root for our favorite professional and college football teams, and prepare to move ahead in the educational system, we must partake of numerous political advertisements and the television talking heads as they analyze a race that is still 11 months away.

Why are we in such a hurry you might ask. Well its simple, at least in my mind. The two most electable people in the USA--Bill Clinton and Al Gore--are not running for office. So the political shakers and movers believe we need all this extra time to determine who the best person is for the presidency. And this is a unique presidency since for the first time in many years (maybe 1929) that a seated president or vice president wasn't seeking the top prize.

And, I think its safe to say, we have a wide range of candidates and numerous questions about the qualifications of the whole lot. Measuring reasons why someone should not be president might be easier than assessing reasons why they should be.

Perhaps the most controversial candidate is Hillary Clinton. She certainly lacks the political skills her husband possesses. He was a centrist--not a liberal-- and he used that quality to assure his reelection in 1996. Hillary appears to be much more liberal, cold, calculating and not nearly as personable as her husband. I would quickly agree that she has the organization skills, intellect and intestinal fortitude to be president. But, it also appears that she lacks the confidence of others as to whether she can win the 2008 general election. Needless to say, electing a woman to the presidency would be a first and this might be the wrong woman at the wrong time. It would probably be easier to vote against her than for her.

Barack Obama is certainly an interesting candidate. The Democratic senator from Illinois has burst on the scene and is legitimately the most electable African-American candidate to ever seek the presidency. He, of course, is plagued by the idea that he is not experienced enough to hold the highest office in the land. Then too, I do believe he is plagued somewhat by a name that might be disadvantageous in this era of Mid-Eastern terrorism and being Black also serves as an obstacle to overcome if he wants to be president.

John Edwards, who appeared to be an up-and-comer during the 2004 election, seems to be the odd man out in this race. Plagued almost from the beginning with the unfortunate issue of his wife's health, along with a $400 haircut, Edwards seems to be floundering in third place wherever he goes. Still, he has a great delivery, looks presidential, and has the experience of a national campaign under his belt. But, that might not be enough in 2008.

The remainder of the Democratic field--Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel--have no chance and will gradually disappear from the primary rosters.

While Republicans might look with glee on the issues that Democrats have with their presidential hopefuls, all they have to do is look at their own roster and begin to start worrying themselves. Looking presidential is not one of the better qualities of the right-wing contingent either. Each candidate carries a set of positive and negative qualities that will play a role in their electability.

Rudy Guiliani, former mayor of New York and the person most likely to wave his credentials in fighting terrorism, has held the early lead in the Republican race. But, as election days creep closer, Guiliani looks creepier and creepier. He has a somewhat dysfunctional family, perhaps because he is on his third wife, and she came into his life as his "mistress" according to one news report I heard earlier this week. He also has a relationship with Bernie Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York City. Financial irregularities led to Kerik's involvement with the legal system, stopped his nomination as Director of Homeland Security, and are now plaguing Guiliani who remains loyal to his old friend. Guiliani also is pro-abortion, welcomes immigrants and favors some gun control. I frequently wonder how Republicans can even consider him one of their own, let alone favor him for in the White House race.

Mitt Romney seems to me to be the most professional candidate in the race, regardless of party. He simply looks presidential. Still, despite his organizational skills and the ability to win the governor's race in highly liberal Massachusetts, he is not without a list of problems. First and foremost is his Mormon faith. While that doesn't bother me, others consider it nothing more than a cult and have said they could not support him. Additionally, he is a flip-flopper on the issue of abortion.

Fred Thompson, the actor who some compare to Ronald Reagan, is no Ronald Reagan on the campaign trail. First he hesitated entering the race, and everyone knows that "he who hesitates is lost." That delay was impacted by the fact that his early campaign style was not exciting. Thompson is hampered by the fact that he looks old and has what some refer to as a "trophy" wife who appears to be pulling the strings on this political campaign. While Thompson appears to be conservative enough to be a true Republican (unlike Guiliani and Romney) he seems to have miscalculated his candidacy and may never overcome that early error.

Mike Huckabee is the candidate that might be gaining the most notoriety, at least recently. As of Sunday (12/2) he appeared to have captured the lead in Iowa polls despite being short on funds. Huckabee is a respectable conservative, comes across well, hails from the city of Hope, Ark. (which seems to carry some weight since the presidency of Bill Clinton) and appears to be a long-term candidate in the primary race. Still, Huckabee has a very deliberate delivery and some wonder if he has enough fire in his belly for the presidency.

John McCain was recently endorsed by the New Hampshire Union Leader--the only statewide paper in that small New England state. A win in New Hampshire has been big in presidential politics and McCain will surely need one if the Iowa polls, which presently show him in fifth place with only seven percent of the voters favoring his candidacy, are right. McCain is perhaps the most interesting person in the race right now. A former Vietnam war POW, he is an honorable man with perhaps more of a centrist view than most conservative Republicans. That would make him more appealing to moderates and liberals. Still, at 71 years of age, if elected he would eclipse Ronald Reagan as our oldest president. Reagan became president just shy of his 70th birthday.

Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo are also-runs in the Republican race.

So who will win the nomination? After writing this, I am looking for somebody else. There is enough listed here to make me wonder why any of these people would seek the presidency. And, more importantly, begs us to ask why we as voters might willingly support any of them?