SmallGovTimes.com

By: Steve Adcock | Published on 06/05/08    

Now that New York Senator Hillary Clinton officially removed herself from the race for the White House in 2008, the real battle begins between three politicians, Republican John McCain, Democrat Barack Obama and Libertarian Bob Barr.

McCain has largely sailed free over the last several months watching Obama and Clinton bicker it out. McCain's easy street moment is over, though, as now the real battle begins between the official candidates vying for your vote come November.

The looming debates will indicate how much energy and dedication the aging John McCain has in this race as he faces off against the smooth talking (and younger looking) Senator from Illinois. Someone will need to light a fire under McCain's posterior or Obama will probably roll right over him. An empty suit no doubt, but style over substance wins in American politics.

The two biggest issues in the campaign are the War on Terror and the economy. McCain will need to convince the American people that the $600 billion dollars that our government is dropping in Iraq is garnering the expected returns in security, and Obama's top priority is wooing the voters into thinking that he'll be able to end the war, a proposition that many fear is next to impossible.

Bob Barr will approach these issues from a unique position, one that rightfully blames the government for the problems that our nation is facing, rather than using more government control and influence to fix them. Barr's daunting task includes a complete re-engineering of what the American people have been taught throughout their lifetimes by our government and public school systems – that government is the solution to all of our worldly problems.

A delicate issue exists between the relatively open borders of the United States and our government's continued insistence that fighting terrorists overseas leads to a safer America. The government cannot realistically prioritize the safety and security of the American people by completely ignoring our border problem. But our politicians, clever as they are, have carefully crafted an argument that strikes fear in the American people and blurs the clear and evident connection between these two issues, and expect that pattern to continue throughout the general election campaign season. Bob Barr will need to step up to the plate and put this issue front and center with the American people, or perish like so many other Libertarians have at the national level.

The joy ride for McCain is coming to a close. The Democratic nominee is now all but official, and the Arizona Senator will now be forced to earn his way into the general election fight, rather than watching from the sidelines as his opponents wrestle to the finish. McCain's early reaction to Obama's nomination victory will probably reveal the nature of his upcoming campaign. Grab some popcorn and pick a chair because the real battle is just beginning.

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