Below are the 16 candidates we have to choose from for our next president, with links to their respective web sites. Sixteen of them, and so little to choose from. So lets have a go at choosing the best candidate (in my opinion) to lead our country for the next 4 years. The current slate of candidates for the Republican presidential nomination are among the sorriest in American history. So lets start with the Republicans. If you are one of the 28% of voters that still think George W. Bush is gods gift to America then any of the Republicans, except Ron Paul, should fill the ticket. Any of them are as eminently unqualified and incompetent as the current President is. If you are looking for someone who has a good chance of actually being worse than George Bush then stick to Rudy Giuliani or Fred Thompson. I actually like Ron Paul. He has true Republican values and a strong belief in what America should stand for at home and abroad. He is also the only Republican anti-war candidate. But, overall, I don’t think he would be the best choice. So, all the Republicans are eliminated… on to the Democrats.

Lets start right out front and eliminate Hillary Clinton. While she might be ok at the job we have already had 8 years of a Clinton as president and 12 years of a Bush. Another 4 years (at least) of a Clinton as president and you have only (2) two families holding office in 24 years. This country and our military are in such great disrepair after the irresponsible leadership of the Cheney/Bush Administration, that we need some new thinking and direction for this country – not old Clintonism. Barack Obama is a nice person and has a message of hope that is particularly appealing to younger voters – But he is too young and inexperienced to lead this country. I mean, when he cites his history as a community organizer in Chicago as an example for making tough decisions, you really have to wonder. Let him be Vice-President for 4-8 years and then see if he is ready. Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. I like them both as people but they are too much “on the far side” for me. Ok, who’s left? Bill Richardson – he has experience as a legislator, a Cabinet member, a diplomat and now the governor of New Mexico. He would be ok as President but not great. I think he would be better as a Vice-President. Same for John Edwards, ok as President but better as Vice-President.

And the winner is?? A tie between Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. Either one of them would make a good leader and President. These men are statesmen. They are both gifted, articulate and experienced U.S. senators. They each have the foreign and domestic experience this country needs. They are, in fact, the “turn-key” candidates. They could easily walk into the White House in January 2009 and get right down to business. They could also cross the aisle and work with Republicans. After 20 years of Clinton/Bush this country desperately needs a Joe Biden or Chris Dodd.

[tags]Candidates, Presidential, Democrats, Republicans, Politics[/tags]