2008 Presidential Candidate Analysis

1113 Words5 Pages
It is now the year 2008, and the presidential campaigns are off to a racing start. Hilary Clinton recently lost the democratic nomination, and it is now up to democratic senator Barack Obama or republican senator John McCain to lead the United States of America successfully. Every four years candidates are given the chance to prove they are worthy of the presidency by showing the nation what they truly believe. Two main issues that have been lingering over the United States are the war in Iraq and the economy. Each nominee holds both similar and different points when it comes to each of these topics, making the decision for the presidency a tough one. It may seem that as a result of Barack Obama being a Democrat and John McCain being a…show more content…
John McCain announced that he would like to withdraw troops from Iraq by the year 2013. As a result of him not announcing this date until recently, Democrats were floored because McCain earlier said, “I’m not putting a date on it. This [not putting a date on troop removal and getting them out when the time is right] is what I want to achieve” (Richter 1). McCain believes that United States troops should remain in Iraq for a longer period than Obama because he feels that we should still be on defense against Al Qaeda. McCain also supports George Bush’s troop increase. He is surprised at what only a few bridges in Iraq have accomplished, and having more would only make the United States that much closer to getting out of Iraq. Obama, however, says that his plan is to remove all combat bridges within sixteen months of taking office (Richter 2). He did, nevertheless, agree to take more time or continue to leave troops in Iraq if it is necessary. Barack Obama also is opposed to a troop increase. He said, “Too many lives have been lost and too many billions have been spent for is to trust the President on another tried and failed policy opposed by generals and experts, Democrats and Republicans, Americans and even the Iraqis themselves. It is time for us to fundamentally change our policy” (“the Issues: Iraq” par. 8). Iraq is not the only issue that is…show more content…
With this in mind, Barack Obama and John McCain both have many similar views on this topic. The economy is surprisingly America’s number one concern for the upcoming year, and both nominees are striving for votes. Both want to do what is best for the country, like lower gas prices, give jobs back to millions of Americans, and make lives better for the average middle class working family. Obama and McCain would both like to expand unemployment benefits making those who lost their jobs better off. Each of them plans to provide for the jobless and make room for many more opportunities of employment. McCain did not support Obama’s plan for homeowners at first, but he has now accepted the idea. Both Obama and McCain voted for the Foreclosure Prevention Fund calling for federal aid to help homeowners who cannot pay their mortgages. Not only will the government try to help citizens in these living situations, they will make an effort to assist them in selling their homes to find a cheaper one to live in (“Obama Hits McCain,” par.

More about 2008 Presidential Candidate Analysis

Open Document