America's 2008 Electoral Race has got to be one of the most engaging political events of all time. Who isn't paying attention to what's going down in America at the moment? And why are we all so engaged in this political race like never before? I'll tell you why, for the first time America has a woman and a black man aiming for the first job of the land, the Presidency of the United States of America. and the world is waiting and watching!

Who will make it? Only time will tell in the meantime we can only speculate and also discuss the crucial issues America has to face before their next President is finally elected.

Now the question " Is America really ready for a Black President in the White House?" The easy answer would be "Yes^, which in of itself means that the country has definitely come a long way.

I must state some important facts about myself. I am not an American, and I have only visited the country once. I am also black.

Racism is a word most people don't want to face. We deceive ourselves that it doesn't exist, that its all in the mind! But is that true? Very soon America is going to have to deal with the fact that even if most of the country wants Barack Obama, as president not all American's are ready for a black man to be the President of America.

Why am I so sure of this? Well mankind has never been able to deal with the colour difference of our skin in a logical fair manner. Discrimination may not be obvious but it is subtly present in our daily existence. That is why in any multi-cultural setting when a person of color or immigrant or alien status happens to be the boss or even team leader, how do the majority, dominant race take it. Do they work as a team or do they do everything in a very subtle way to frustrate the work of this team leader?

We need to search our hearts for the answers. On the net as we build our community how many of us really want to build healthy relationships with people from the other side of the world? Even at this level do we hesitate to become fans of people from different cultures from ours.

Many may feel that Barack Obama will bring the change they desire to American politics, but that subtle inability to accept another person as an equal human being on the question of color may in the end affect Obama's success at the end of the day.

Don't get me wrong though, because I am black does not mean I automatically think Barak Obama should be voted in as the Democratic Candidate and then next President of the United States of America. My take on the issue is America should look deeply into who he is and make a judgement based on fact and not sentiment. The black community in America owe this to themselves, and my plea to them is" please vote for the right person and not just the black one."

The next question, "Is America ready for a woman President?" The answer is quite frankly I don't know, but I think "maybe yes", other countries have had women leaders and they've survived. At this point America is lagging behind instead of taking the lead.

Well I am of the female gender as well, so what a dilemma, I am both woman and black. But lets talk about who can do the job best a man or a woman.

Seriously I don't think gender has anything to do with it, just as color has nothing to do with it. Voters need to realise this before they put America in a worse situation than its now found itself. Choose the right person for the right reason. Policies, both homeland and foreign ones, strength of character, ability to deal with a crisis among other things is what's important.

So folks who do you think would fit the bill? Obama or Clinton or McCain? I don't know for sure yet. But my take as you can guess by now is that sentimentality would not do justice to this issue. Voting for a black man either because you are black or because you are white and think that what a white man can do a black man can do just as well or even better is not it.

Those of us feminist, who think like that old song says: "Anything you can do I can do better, I can do anything better than you!" Maybe yes, maybe not, but most importantly don't be sentimental about this vote for the best man/woman not for the gender of the candidate.