An Editorial -- The 2008 Democratic presidential primary season has been remarkable for its intensity and competitiveness. Fundraising ability, charisma, and competition for a fickle media's attention are the talking points of a campaign that is energizing the party's faithful while confounding its Republican adversaries.
Dark horse outsiders like Dennis Kucinich, Christopher Dodd, Joe Biden, and Bill Richardson have already departed the scene without leaving much of an impression. Although once considered a genuine contender for the nomination, strikingly handsome John Edwards has also decided to drop out. What remains is a fascinating slugfest between two heavyweight contenders: Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Which one will best lead this nation into the dark abyss of liberalism? Who is most prepared to hand the keys of U.S. sovereignty over to the violent forces that oppose our way of life? What are the fundamental differences between the two adversaries, and why should we care?
Mr. Obama serves as a U.S. Senator for the state of Illinois but was born in Hawaii. Mrs. Clinton was born in Illinois but is a Senator for New York. Both contenders wear smartly styled pantsuits, but Senator Obama tends to favor monochromatic dark grays while Senator Clinton prefers brighter designer hues. Each candidate has practiced law, presumably until they got it right. Mrs. Clinton has borne a child. Mr. Obama says he cannot, although some of his more ardent supporters disagree.
Extensive national polling indicates that either Democrat could win the election in November. Make no mistake; history would be made no matter if a woman or an African-American takes the presidential oath of office. Regardless of which candidate is victorious, the always-lucrative history market will benefit. All those new books, all that punditry, all the I-told-you-so essays are guaranteed to subsidize historians' cocaine habits and compulsive orthodontia for years to come.
It is to be hoped the Democratic primaries are fought honorably and with dignity, because any residual bitterness or disenchantment could only hand the advantage to the presumptive GOP challenger, John McCain. The irritable and wily Arizona legislator will prove to be a formidable opponent, yet has vulnerabilities of his own.
Senator McCain was born in 1907 to American parents living in Panama during construction of the famous canal. Although his eligibility to serve as President is slightly unclear according to the U.S. Constitution, objections to the issue are expected to be overturned in much the same way as what has traditionally been done to the separation of church and state.
Election 2008: the challenge will be for historians to record history as fast it can be rewritten by politicians and the media.
