And the winner is.....

I am going out on a limb here to predict who I think will be the next President of the United States. After careful consideration I believe that John McCain will win The Presidency and by a wide margin also; 60/40. Now let me explain why I think this will happen. First, I believe that the nominee for the Democratic Party will be Barak Obama. Regardless of the fact that Hillary Clinton just won the Pennsylvania Primary by 10 percentage points I STILL think that Obama will be the nominee. He brings a new message to the race and he is doing very well with some key demographics such as African Americans, College Students and moderates. However, I still believe that this is John McCain's race to lose. Do not underestimate the wartime situation that the US is in and who the American people will ultimately want as a Commander-in-Chief. By a very wide margin most people think that the Iraq War is going in the right direction and that the troops should come home........when the job is over. That is the difference. Obama wants to bring them home immediately and Hillary would slowly draw them down but the effect will be the same. Without our help, Iraq will be unable to combat the aggressive Iranian onslaught that will pervade the country and will be worse off than it was under Saddam. Speaking of Iran, they will also be a main factor in the voter's decision making process. When the American people go into the polls in November there will be 2 major concerns and one of those will be security. Iran has not minced words in what it's plans are for Israel should they acquire the power to destroy them...they will. They have also taken every opportunity to slander and provoke the US at every turn. Even the Arab countries that DO NOT like us fear Iran. They know that a nuclear Iran in that region is a very bad thing. John McCain will not treat this as just another diplomatic issue. He will be direct and forceful and if necessary use the military option to stop Iran. Obama wants to "sit down with Iran's leaders, look into their eyes and reach out to them on a human level". Are you kidding me? No offense Mr Obama but that will only come across as weakness and will encourage more provocation. Iran must understand that they will be dealt with harshly and swiftly and there must be no mixed signals.

The other major issue will be the Economy. Obama is going to raise taxes just by merely repealing the Bush tax cuts and that will in effect amount to the largest tax increase in the history of the United States. Is that the best thing for a stagnant economy? Doesn't it make sense that if people have MORE money they will want to spend it rather than less? McCain has already stated that he will make the Bush tax cuts permanent which will win him great praise. The truth is slowly starting to trickle out about Obama's real intentions and it's not pretty. Basically he is a re-distributionist. He believes that money should be taken from the rich to be given to those less fortunate. Well, that's the American Dream after all. Right? Why should you get a job an education and work hard to achieve your goals when you can rely on the government to provide for your needs? Yes, that will definitely NOT go over well come November. No matter how you slice it most Americans WANT to work hard to make their dreams come true. If it's handed to you it doesn't have the same appeal.

The third issue that I think will have a very profound effect on the outcome of this race is the judgement issue. Recently it has come to light that Obama has some very shady and even criminal "friends" that have raised the eyebrows of even the most hardcore Obama supporter. Let's just look at the Top Three: Tony Rezko, Reverend Wright and William Ayers. Tony Rezko is currently on trial for his shady real estate dealings in Chicago and will probably be found guilty. Reverend Wright has been shown to be an anti-American hypocrite who talks about "the evil, rich white man" and then buys a multi-million dollar mansion in a neighborhood know for rich, white men. And last but not least and the most concerning is William Ayers. He is a former member of the Weather Underground terrorist group who along with his cohorts declared war on the United States and made, set and detonated explosive devices that took the lives of 3 people in the 60's. Mr Ayers is unrepentant to this day and actually believes that his group "did not do enough". The fact that Obama hangs around with these folks cast serious doubts on his ability to apply good judgement in sensitive situations. If he distanced himself and condemned their actions he might get some credit for doing the right thing. However, he has remained friends with these people and refuses to disavow his connections with them. THAT is a serious breach of trust and judgement and the American people will not take it lightly.

Obama has shown that he has the intelligence and the charisma to ignite enthusiasm in people all across this land. That will ensure that he will be a fixture on the political landscape for some time to come. However, his inexperience, shady connections and radical ideas will cost him this election. We just don't know who this guy is and most people will not put a stranger in The White House. We know John McCain. We might not necessarily agree with him on all issues but under the circumstances we don't have the luxury of a second choice. These are the choices, for better or for worse. John McCain will be a good President. He will most likely serve one term and then his Vice President will run. In the meantime, Barak Obama will be establishing a record for himself and he WILL run again. That you can bet on!! This will make him a very powerful Senator and if my suspicions are correct he will relish that role almost as much as being President. In fact he could be MORE dangerous as a Senator than President and that might be his overall plan. One thing is for sure; regardless of the outcome this November Barak Obama is here to stay. But this year belongs to John McCain. At least that's what I think.