I am really not sure why I am saying this, as this just popped into my head two seconds ago and threw my views of our beloved President off the rocker...

I looooove listening to Bush speak and to me each time he entered a new phrase for an edition of Bushisms I would take that as confirmation that well...He is not the guy I would have voted for.

However, is judging by the ability to deliver a beautiful (or coherent, at minimum) speech not the same thing as judging by appearance? Hitler was quite the speaker. Afterall, Yale does not hand out acceptance freely and ya gotta be good at something to make it as far as the White House. Perhaps it is even better that persuasive/poetic language is not the factor that got him here. He is just not a good speaker.

I understand perfectly that his oration skills are not the main shortcomings, but perhaps it should not be the source of so much trash-talk.

I do apologize for not responding to the actual topic. I really do not know enough to talk about the candidates (dumb, I know. Especially since I am to vote this time around). Highest admiration of you who started following this early (for me) on.

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next JFK possibly!

Doubt it my man Kennedy stands alone

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encouraging blue that you say he is a good speaker, the US is in desperate need of that.

agreed, as an english speaking nation we should work to elect a leader who actually speaks... well english

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but what are his policies?

I'd like to know that as well. I can actually vote in the upcoming presidential election so I want as much information about the canidates as I can possibly get.

I hope he challenges, he is a great characters and i believe he could with the US support abroad, but what are his policies? i havn't heard much about that being British, what is he bringing to the table?

encouraging blue that you say he is a good speaker, the US is in desperate need of that.

Recently when posed a difficult question about Iraq by a British journalist he replied 'iraq situation is bad..........that help?'

Good points, though I can't help but view voters getting stirred up along racial lines as anything but bad news for the Dems in states like NC.

I was lucky enough to hear Obama speak in NH a few weeks ago. He is fantastically talented and insprirational. He's comfortable with people and with himself. The hype surrounding this man is incredible, although it is a concern that he'll peak too early.

I think that the experience issue is not a huge problem. By 2008, Americans are going to want a fresh and new president. If that's Obama's only problem, then he's in fantastic shape.

The Dems. would be incredibly stupid to nominate Clinton. She is a divisive character and is not well liked. Very few people are genuinely repelled by Obama.

If anything Obama could help the Dems. win states with heavily black populations such as North Carolina or Virginia. He would most definitely activate the black population. I also find it encouraging that young people are particularly motivated and inspired by Obama. This was not the case for Kerry or Gore.

I like Obama a great deal, but he'll be challenged for not having enough experience in government. A lot of people are saying it would be wiser for him to wait until a later date to run (2012 or 2016). I'm not sure how I feel about that...all I know is, if he's on the ballot in 2008, I'll definitely be voting for him! As for him being black, I'd like to think that's a non-issue, but the truth is it isn't. It'll cost him some votes in the South. But heck, a Democrat wouldn't carry the South anyway, so I don't think it would be a big electoral loss.

Hillary...I like her less than him, but unless she was running against an extremely moderate Republican, I would still consider the vote for her a no-brainer.

I'm not terribly excited about the prospect of a black or female president. I think at this point, most Americans genuinely believe the best person for the job should get it (unless, God forbid, they're gay or an Atheist ), and I really think emphasizing how great it is that the new president might be a woman or minority will just make people affirmative-action-style squeamish.