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Will history repeat itself when the new President assumes office in January? When Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower ran for President in 1952 against Democrat Adlai Stevenson, one of Ike's campaign pledges was that he would end the war in Korea when he went to the White House. For those not familiar with that critical moment in American history, and want to draw parallels with the 2008 election, the comparisons are similar in many ways, yet different in one important fact. The first question could be: considering today's political situation, how was it possible that a Republican would make such a promise of peace, especially when he was the former five-star general who led Allied troops to victory in World War II in Europe just seven years before?

However, against advice of his Republican colleagues and many generals, he put aside all politics, and as soon as Ike became President in 1953, he went to Korea and stopped the seemingly endless and hopeless war. I was there, a recalled Navy Reservist who had already served time in World War II, and was glad as hell to be still alive and going home. Today, America is in the midst of another war, already into its sixth year, and soon to be dragging on longer than both the Korean and World War II combined. The 2008 election will certainly have a profound effect on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it may all depend on who wins the White House.

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been strong advocates for ending the war. If either is elected, we can at least hope that the new President, a Democrat, will take steps to begin immediate withdrawal or announce a schedule and deadline for getting all U.S. forces home. Of course, it isn't as simple as just announcing the war's end, and there will be considerable political and military factors necessary to make the plan work for the benefit of the United States, but at the same time, without causing a bloodbath in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the other hand, and with an intriguing potential reverse of Ike's decision in 1953, Iraq war advocate Senator John McCain will almost certainly be the Republican Presidential candidate. He's also a man with impressive military credentials, a genuine war hero who suffered terrible wounds and long imprisonment for his country. If he were to make a promise similar to Ike's to bring all American troops home, it would be a logical and welcome happening for the great majority of Americans. Don't count on it!

Throughout the Presidential campaign, McCain has stubbornly sided with the Bush administration's policy to continue fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. In fact, in one speech, McCain implied that, if necessary, American troops would stay in the Middle East to gain the victory, even if it took a hundred years. Although he later withdrew the remark, in a dramatic moment in a speech, he also said the war was all about oil.

Therefore, Americans will have a choice in November which may have an effect on the outcome of the Iraq War. Whether the Democrats nominate Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, if the voters can believe the campaign promises, and if one of them goes to the White House, the Democrats have repeatedly promised that every effort will be made to bring our troops home, and the war will finally be brought to an end. If the vote makes John McCain the next President, they'll know American troops will fight on in the troubled Middle East until his concept of victory is attained, or his term in office is completed.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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