[MikeSz]

Its in times like this that despite the anti-political sentiment voiced in forums such as this that we see that interest in politics is far from dead. People have a vested interest in those that control our lives and there can be no more influential a post than the President of The United States.

Ive studied American Politics and been a keen observer for many years and I defy anyone to predict how this one will go.

Americans tend to vote for heros, war veterans and those 'Old American Boys' who've served. Some would call them an insecure electorate, uncertain of their own standing in the world and even unsure of their own national identity. To a degree this may be true and in such circumstances there can be no better time for someone Like Sen Obama to seize the reigns of power.

Obama is the choice of the heart, Clinton would have been the choice of the brain and its clear from the current feeling in America that in terms Democratic Party politics, the heart won this battle. He needs to come into his own now - anyone can sell stories of a great America, of change, of freedom and position themsevles as the catalyst for all those things, but so far he simply hasnt said anything and has got through by being new and putting on a good show. We'll see now if the US electorate have been paying attention.

McCain is a savvy politician, worldly wise and has been there, done it, got the t-shirt. He has plenty of friends on 'the Hill' and is a gifted public speaker who has laced his addresses with both rhetoric and substance. His age lets him down but dont underestimate the appeal of a steady hand in the current economic and political climate.

If I were to stick my neck on the line, my heart would go for Obama, but this will be a battle of the heart and the brain of the American people.