There is a menacing problem facing the people of the United States: the game of politics. There was a time, many, many years ago, when the candidates for the country's most important political positions--namely the President, Vice President, Senators and Representatives--were those who were best qualified to fill those roles. Indeed, many Presidents from the nation's early years of existence were among the smartest, most well-rounded people living.

But I fear that those days, and Presidents such as Washington, Adams, Lincoln, and even FDR are long gone. Today, Presdential candidates emerge most often by being the best positioned politically within their respective parties. The political system (or monster, as I like to think of it) has sacrificed intelligence and ability for political maneuvering, and it is doing the country a great disservice. This theory explains why George Bush has been in office for the past eight years: his father's presidency made him a "legacy" as President, and that fact along with dirty campaigning and stealing two elections held the key for a man of very mediocre intelligence to assume the most powerful role in the world.

Now, following two terms of terrible decision-making by an unqualified President, the Republican Party has nominated another candidate, John McCain, based solely on political positioning. His time as a POW in Vietnam does not qualify him for the presidency, it merely fits their need for a candidate who appeals to nationalism and will make other un-intelligent people feel safe in today's volatile world. McCain finished in the bottom five in a class of almost 900 at the Naval Academy, and his military career was characterized by poor decisions and causing serious problems. Now, the GOP would have you believe that this "maverick", because of his miserable military career and cowardly, uninspired right-wing voting record as a Senator, is going to be a great President since he is a "great American".

The Democratic Party, however, got it right: Barack Obama is the type of highly intelligent and genuinely compassionate human being that this country needs in a President. Admittedly, Obama is a shrewd politician and an unprecedentedly charismatic speaker, and he has ignited the hope and energy of voters. But there is a wealth of substance behind his politician's exterior; Obama finished near the top of his class at Harvard Law School, and during his time there he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review and became the first African American president of the Law Review. He had a prodigious career as a lawyer and writer even before he entered into politics (there is no need to even address accusations of Obama being too inexperienced for the Oval Office). Obama made a great choice for his running mate, the first important decision a candidate has to make, as Joe Biden is also a highly intelligent and experienced man of the people; also, Obama has run a fantastic campaign, never stooping to the level of their opponents' and always keeping focus centered on the idea of change.

It is important to note that this is by no means a Democrat expressing his opinion, but an independent that assesses the issues and the character and qualification of the candidates. And the Democratic party is not innocent in the creation and encouragement of the fractured political system. Perhaps the parties themselves are the problem, but there are more qualified experts out there that can figure out what the source is and how to fix it. The point is that the American people deserve nothing but the best when it comes to the highest office in the nation, and sadly that is not what they get anymore. Barack Obama is the best, the brightest, and the most fit to step into office at this crucial turning point in history, and if he wins this problem will be temporarily alleviated. But there is always another election, and next time we might not be so lucky and end up with a President that will once again plunge the country into nothing but trouble.