It's That Simple

The US presidential election is now focused on two presumptive nominees. This concentration of media attention buries the fact that the nation’s direction can’t be predicted merely on the campaign utterances of the winning candidate.

Neither Obama nor McCain will be isolated figures, working alone in a White House vacuum. They will bring teams composed of politically likeminded individuals. We elect a team with a single compass.

The US is engaged in a global war against terrorism and is under economic duress. Our future prosperity and security will be determined by the team the new president selects.

Thus, forecasting the direction the nation will take under either’s watch is best predicated on the candidate’s inner circle of friends, supporters and advisors. It’s this political aggregate that the electorate should, can and must gauge.

Politicians hate hypothetical questions because they bar equivocation. They prefer dealing in circles rather than boxes with those nasty corners. So they trade in the abstract of their own choosing, which provides multiple avenues of escape. In business slang, this is called the view from 50,000 feet.

Americans live much closer to earth. So here is a hypothetical question for the electorate. With the nation’s economic and national security in upheaval, who would you rather have advising the next president?

Condoleezza Rice or Ms. Save the Planet, Speaker Nancy Pelosi

General Petraeus or Mr. We Have Lost the War, Senator Harry Reid

Oliver North or Mr. Flag Burner, William Ayers

Mayor Giuliani or Mr. Sanctuary City, Mayor Gavin Newsom

Governor Tom Ridge or Spend Baby Spend, Governor Duval Patrick

Senator Romney or Mr. UFO, Rep. Dennis Kucinich

Michelle Malkin or Ms. Not Proud of America, Michelle Obama

Glenn Beck or Mr. Tingle Legs, Chris Mathews

Duncan Hunter or Ms. Nationalize Oil and Healthcare, Maxine Waters

Rev. Graham or Mr. Damn the US, Reverend Wright

Senator Orin Hatch or Mr. Welfare, Senator Kennedy

These are the candidates’ political soul mates. These people are representative of those leading the current debate, and those who will influence the US international, domestic, and economic legislation for the next four years.

Compare their positions on illegal immigration, energy, taxation, and border and national security. This is the choice Americans will make in this election. It’s that simple.