With the public’s record low levels of approval, general mistrust, and overall animosity towards President George W Bush, it seems he has doomed the GOP for 2008. Recent polls have shown the “sick-and-tired” attitude of the war in Iraq, which has proven to be ineffective, and seems constantly in a lockdown. In addition, Bush’s approval ratings are extremely low, falling below 30% in a recent poll. This has hurt the GOP candidates, many of whom support President Bush and his ideals.

With this in mind, the Democratic candidates are campaigning across the country with high hopes of taking the White House once more. But who will be our next President? At this point, no one is sure, but it appears the race will be between Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. Both consistently are rated as the top two choices for Democratic voters. But where do they differ?



First of all, Hilary Clinton is campaigning off of the fact that she has much experience traveling the globe in her 8 years as first lady, as well as her stance as a US Senator. She uses her long term experience in Washington to show her qualifications and regularly criticizes Senator Barack Obama’s lack thereof. Though her experience may be good in some respects, many fear she has been on the Washington scene so long that her plans have been shaped by others over the years. In addition, Hillary Clinton has been criticized for taking enormous amounts of money from established lobbying groups and private interest groups, which many Americans fear has shaped her agenda astray from what everyday Americans want. Currently, Hillary consistently polls better than Barack Obama, but what does Obama have in store for us?

Senator Barack Obama is campaigning for what he feels are real middle class Americans. He criticizes Clinton for accepting such large amounts of money from special interest groups, and asks only for donations from middle class supporters. He is a young and hopeful candidate, who has the strong stance as the only candidate who did not support the invasion of Iraq. This has helped him win votes with many voters who opposed the war, and those who are fed up with the ineffective results. In addition, he is strong and assertive and claims he will withdraw all US troops not necessary in Iraq soon after he takes office, while Hillary states she will still order the military to perform combat missions, a plan many see as supportive of the war. Obama has been criticized for lack of experience, but he uses this to his advantage. He appeals to Americans who think Washington needs a fresh set of ideals and rules. He is young, healthy, refuses to accept money from special interest groups, opposed the war in Iraq from the start, and campaigns to the middle class American who wants change.

The race for President still has time and events to shape the thoughts of American voters, but currently we are set to nominate a Democratic President, whether it is the Washington favorite in Hillary Rodham Clinton, or the Americans for change candidate Barack Obama.