by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: October 21, 2008

America's standing in the world has been severely damaged by the ineptitude of George W. Bush as President of the United States. American foreign policy has managed to alienate both allies and enemies alike, and it is going to take some serious bridge-building to rectify the situation. That being the case, who would make a better President; John McCain or Barack Obama?

Obama seems a safer bet in terms of world affairs, at least, which perhaps explains why Europeans are so in love with him, believing that he will take a more level-headed approach to America's foreign policy. He may be untested in foreign affairs, but that may work to his advantage because he has little record to defend on such matters. This is not so of John McCain, who seems to be rather belligerent in the tone he takes over foreign matters, stating that troops should remain in Iraq for 100 years if that is what is required and taking a rather war-hawkish line in general.

Also in Obama's favour is his relative youth. There have been accusations of ageism against anyone who dares to criticise John McCain, but let us face it McCain is hardly a specimen of glowing health, is he? He often comes across as slightly doddery and inarticulate, which is not something you want from a nation's leader who is going to converse with other leaders on the global stage. Ideally you want someone who can string a sentence together and who fully comprehends whatever situation arises, just as Obama appears to be able to do.

McCain's choice of running mate has also undermined people's confidence in him to lead and to make the right choices. Sarah Palin may well have temporarily invigorated the McCain campaign, but many Americans who possibly would have voted Republican are too fearful of the consequences that would unfold if McCain were to fall ill and Palin were to take over. Obama's choice of Joe Biden, on the other hand, seems to have been a wise move, as it fills in some of the gaps on Obama's own resume in foreign affairs particularly. It also demonstrates that he knows how to surround himself with the right people; a useful quality to have in a President.

Obama also seems to represents the new zeitgeist of change. All potential Presidents tend to use the word change as if it is about to go out of fashion, but Obama has appeared on the scene at a time when everything is changing, whether people like it or not. Nowhere is this clearer than in the current economic situation. For so long the free market has reigned supreme, and no doubt it will again, but for the moment people have become disillusioned with the ridiculous decisions taken by people on Wall Street and by grossly overpaid bankers, and are perhaps more willing to see increased regulation. McCain was the Presidential candidate who claimed, a couple of days before the banking system went into meltdown, that the fundamental basis of the American economy was sound. Clearly, he did not have a full grasp of the enormity of the situation. Obama has managed to avoid such an ill-timed gaffe at a time when people are extremely concerned for their jobs and about paying the bills.

Whoever is elected surely can be no worse than Bush, but whether the next incumbent is Obama or McCain we will never know if the other candidate would have done a better job, unless the individual makes the kind of decisions that Bush did, in which case it may be clearer. Let us just hope that change' is not just a useful little word that has been used, but that it actually represents something, and that the next President works to bring about real change.

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