Impatient for the U.S. presidential elections which are a year away, the world waits to see what message the new president will have for the world. Will current American policies continue? Will the present policies of aggression continue? When will the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and Afghanistan begin? For how long will votes be solicited by befooling Americans with the threat of terrorism?
In fact, a war is going on between hopeful Republican and Democratic party presidential candidates. This political battle is expected to continue until the primaries. The final candidates will come to the forefront only after the two parties’ conventions. American voters will finally be given a chance next November to elect the new president. Out of the platoon of candidates (there are so many that they should be called a platoon) who have come forward so far, it can be said that former first lady and senator of New York, Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Senator Barak Obama, D-Ill., an African American, are the front runners. If the Democratic Party’s convention was to be held today, one of these two candidates would surely become the party’s presidential candidate. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Senator John McCain are the front-runners from the Republican Party.
Giuliani’s vote bank is the same as that of the incumbent President George Bush – religious voters of the Bible Belt, prejudiced members of the church and common white collar Americans. That’s why Giuliani speaks of terrorism more than President Bush himself. Neocons know that America recognizes Giuliani as the hero mayor of New York City. Giuliani is cashing in on photos himself at the World Trade Center rubble and his consolatory actions with the shaken Americans following the 9/11 attacks. These days Giuliani is seen advocating for the destruction of terrorist targets, including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.
As with President Bush, religious fanatics are keeping Giuliani in their highest esteem. Moreover, the pro-Jewish media and the Jewish voters seem happy with Giuliani’s hawkish policies. It is believed that only Giuliani can defeat Hillary Clinton if she becomes the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. This type of propaganda is so strong that Giuliani is being portrayed as the only replacement for Bush in White House. Giuliani, a Roman Catholic, knows how to appease New York’s Jewish population. He became a hero when he snubbed the late Yasser Arafat about a decade ago. Common Jewish voters know that Giuliani will leave all others behind in his support for Israel.
The Bible Belt had supported the incumbent president in the last elections. On his part, President Bush rewarded the religious leaders in every respect as the government helped the clergy openly. The same money is now being used by Christian missionaries in Iraq and Afghanistan to convert the war-stricken Muslims to Christianity. Therefore, any candidate who supports Neocons, the Bible Belt and the protection of Israel will win the presidential elections.
The question that needs special attention is: can a woman or an African American ever become president of the United States? Both democratic front-runners for presidential candidate nomination are minorities and stand little chance of winning the elections. America is not yet ready for a woman or an African American as president. Thus the presidency is all the more likely to land in the hands of Republicans. Republicans have proved that they can get anybody elected to the top office by creating the bogey of terrorism.
In the current situation, one can hope for improvement, but for a real change Democrats will have to nominate the third runner-up in the Democratic race, John Edwards, as their presidential candidate. Otherwise be prepared for the continuation of President Bush’s current policies for another eight years.
