The Presidential Race, so far...

I thought that I would get the ball rolling with my opinions on the presidential race.

I'll just start off with the obvious. I admit that I was disappointed when Mitt Romney dropped out of the race. I was looking forward to his ideas to "clean up" Washington, but mostly to help the ailing economy. To me, he wasn't very strong in the national defense category. But what won the most points with me was his dedication to family values. I enjoyed hearing his views on how to address domestic problems of crime and education. His point of view was that if you strengthen the family, by keeping parents married and Dad in the home (and not in jail) then families have a greater chance of survival. Why does that matter you may ask. Well, if the family is in tact, then the parents can teach and show their children how to grow up in this world. It is when families fall apart that the education rates drop and crime rates go up.

With that in mind, I like John McCain because of his strong stance on national security. However, I am a little concerned that national security is his only strong point (and an exaggerated one at that). McCain has made some friends along the way (on both sides of the aisle and some in the middle) which is indicative of his ability to work together and accomplish meaningful tasks.

Barack Obama is a lightweight in the ring of experience. Virtually no foreign policy experience, some domestic policy, and hardly any national defense experience. But what Obama lacks in experience, he makes up for in comraderie. What I mean by that is his ability (like McCain) to bring people to the table and work together to find solutions. We should never expect a President to be an expert in every aspect of his/her job. (If that same standard were held to us, we would all be out of a job). But what we should expect from a President is someone who can listen to the opinions of the experts (yes, even if they are differing) and make the best decision possible in that situation. I believe that Obama is an expert at surrounding himself with good people (Jeremiah Wright being the exception) and bringing the best out in them for the betterment of the country.

Hillary Clinton has more experience in Washington than what is good for her. Of all the candidates, I believe, she has the most experience with executive functions, having been married to the Chief Executive for his two-terms in office. Moreover, the way she handled the Lewinsky scandal (and all the previous ones) is a credit to her political ingenuity and savvy. She plays the political game very well, perhaps too well. Her best attribute, her experience, is also her weakest link because she appears to want to work with the attitude of "business as usual" in Washington. She has so much experience in the current Washingtonian political atmosphere that how can we expect her to change anything, let alone, reform the healthcare system. But I have to give her props for her determination and resiliency. Almost anybody that would have run for President would have given in by now (as evidenced by the fact that every other major candidate has given in by now). The real question is, who would be the 2nd vice-president behind Bill Clinton?

I like the free-market healthcare plan that McCain has adopted; but I also like the fact that Obama and Clinton would require healthcare coverage for all children (adults should be able to make their own decision about whether they want coverage or not, children shouldn't). I love Obama's dedication to education and his higher education reforms. I like McCain's strong sense of national defense, but abhor his stubbornness for unexplored paths of diplomacy.

The fact is, I am a voter that supports a candiate who has high morals, a good game plan, a strong dedication to this country, and an even stronger dedication to the family (particularly their own). I don't know who I would vote for if the final election were today. Perhaps I would just write-in Thomas S. Monson and leave it at that. But I know that he has a different job, and one that I am sure he would not give up even for the Presidency of the United States.