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The choice before the Americans is so stark that it is surprising that there is a contest at all. Obama and Biden offer such an obviously superior team to that of McCain and Palin. The former surely appeals to not only the liberal, open-minded and erudite section of the population but also to those who have recognized the serious flaws and obvious mistakes of the Bush administration and felt the impact of those policies first-hand. The latter on the other hand appeals mainly to the rich, hard-nosed conservatives who regard their right to riches and guns inviolable and also hold racist views. They constitute the narrow-minded, short-sighted and superficial (if not diseased) section of the American population, condemned and ridiculed by the rest of the world. They have failed to learn that self-righteous aggressiveness leads only to misery for all concerned, including the aggressor. The millions of dollars America spent on the Iraq war have surely contributed to the world-wide financial crisis which started in the USA and now affects a large number of the middle-class Americans.

McCain claims that he is more experienced and more patriotic than Obama. How does one measure patriotism? I am sure every patriotic American will claim that he or she puts America first. To love one's country is one thing; but to take the view that the rest of the world exists only to serve its ends is quite another. McCain's claim that his war record makes him better qualified to be president is sheer nonsense. The skills required of a President are very different from those required of a General in the armed forces. A President should be concerned not with war but the preservation of peace and indeed the promotion of peace in his country, its neighbours and the world at large. McCain's choice of Sarah Palin for Vice President is clearly motivated by his desire to woo the female section of the population, many of whom are still absurdly angry that Obama beat Hillary Clinton to the Democratic nomination. His attempts to smear Obama's character and patriotism is a desperate attempt to divert the voting public from matters that are truly of crucial importance (the state of the economy, US relations with Iran, Russia, the EU etc.) where his lack of vision and political handicap are only too obvious. It is unlikely to sway anyone who has followed Obama's stellar career and his record in the US senate.

The world is now a much more unified place than before but its problems have also become far more complex. The pre-eminent status of the USA in the world places a tremendous responsibility on its government to act with great care, restraint and foresight as its actions are likely to have effects far beyond its borders. Obama has demonstrated a remarkable ability to take a balanced, far-sighted and well-considered approach to problems. Joe Biden enjoys international recognition and respect for his views on foreign policy issues. McCain will largely continue the flawed policies of the Bush administration. Even if he alters the policies to appease popular discontent, the policy direction will remain largely the same. It is positively frightening to think of Sarah Palin, the inexperienced, authoritarian and fanatical conservative becoming president; a possibility that must be considered seriously in view of McCain's age and state of health. What will that do to world peace?

It is to be fervently hoped that Americans will elect Obama and reject McCain. But the fact that they chose George Bush over Al Gore and re-elected Bush even after he invaded Iraq on false pretexts without UN approval, is a worrying thought. Can the American majority be trusted to take the right decision?

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