Story : James Goyder
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It is no exaggeration to say that the outcome of the US presidential election could affect the future of the entire planet. The next US president, whether it be John McCain, Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton will be faced with decisions affecting the lives of not just the citizens of the US but those of the world. 

The format for the US presidential nominations, a series of sequential regional primaries, has provided a thrilling contest with political debate centering around both the immediate future of the US and its recent past.

The World Awaits
The Bangkok Post commented that, ‘The US presidential race is being watched with interest, consternation and delight around the world. Not just because shifts in US policy, both benign and misguided, can powerfully affect the quality of people's lives on this inter-connected planet, but because of unprecedented political breakthroughs in race, religion and gender.’

The Post was partly referring to the fact that the race for the Democratic nomination came down to a choice between two candidates, one, Barack Obama, a black man and the other, Hilary Clinton, a woman. Many worldwide observers were enthralled by the possibility of either one day becoming president of the most influential country in the world.

Democrats Divided
However while an increasingly acrimonious contest for the Democratic nomination appears likely to go to the wire, with Obama a strong favourite but Clinton either unwilling or unable to accept defeat, the race for the Republican nomination is long since run.

As early as March 12th The Nation reported that, ‘Senator John McCain sealed his grip on his party's nomination last week and stood unopposed in Tuesday's Mississippi primary. He has turned his sights to raising money for his campaign and uniting the Republican Party behind his candidacy.’

The same paper acknowledged that this could only be a bad thing for the Democrats, because, ‘With the tone of the candidates and their surrogates taking on an increasingly nasty, personal tone over the past few weeks, some Democrats have expressed concern that a protracted battle could hurt the party's chances against McCain in the November 4 general election.’

According to The Nation, ‘Obama still looks the likely winner of the Democratic nomination but with Clinton highly unlikely to draw a dignified retreat and the battle between the two getting increasingly nasty the only winner of a long protracted race is going to be John McCain’s Republican party.’

Bush’s Legacy
The Bangkok Post felt that with media attention firmly focused on the competition between the prospective new presidential candidates some of the antipathy for the outgoing president seemed to have been forgotten, reflecting that, ‘The US presidential campaign thus far has been notable for the lack of discussion on the more controversial policies of incumbent President George W. Bush.’

In fact the battle for the Democratic nomination has raised the intriguing possibility of a Republican electoral success. Prior to the start of the Democratic and Republican primaries President Bush’s popularity was at an all time low. In a Reuters poll conducted in October 2007 Bush received an approval rating of 24 %, the second lowest of any president in the last thirty five years. It seemed inconceivable that such an unpopular president’s party could win re-election.

However Obama and Clinton both seem determined to damage one anothers’ credibility, be it through Clinton drawing attention to Obama’s controversial pastor or Obama ridiculing Clinton’s seemingly erroneous claims to have survived sniper fire in Bosnia. The eventual winner of the two seems unlikely to survive this scrap unscathed and there remains a question whether, if the mud slinging continues, either will be able to emerge capable of making a credible case for the presidency.  

A Divisive Issue
Perhaps the single most divisive issue to emerge between the three main candidates, Obama, Clinton and McCain, has been the war in Iraq. According to The Nation, ‘McCain, is a vocal supporter of the war in Iraq. Obama opposed the war and has promised to pull troops out. Clinton stuck to her position of beginning troop withdrawals within 60 days of taking office, but also said she would ensure that the US had a comprehensive plan for dealing with the fallout and does not leave Iraqi allies in the lurch.’

McCain, a war hero who the Post describes as, ‘more American than apple pie’ has pledged to keep troops in Iraq for 100 years if necessary. So should the Republicans win a US military presence in Iraq is assured for the forseeable future. However should the Democrats prevail it seems inevitable that US troops will withdraw, a decision that could have far reaching consequences for the security of the middle east and consequentially the world.

Local Interest
In an interesting aside The Nation draws attention to Obama’s upbringing in Indonesia. Obama, 46, was enrolled in two primary schools in Jakarta in the late 1960s and The Nation reported that, ‘Many Indonesians have made up their minds that candidate Barack Obama would make a great president, with his childhood time in the country making him a local favourite.’

Somewhat more surprisingly the same paper also claimed that, ‘Obama fever’ was hitting Singapore, a country with a far more mundane political landscape than the US. It reported that, ‘Young Singaporeans feel Obama is attractive because he flies in the face of norms like experience and age that Singaporeans are used to and preaches hope, tolerance, change and dialogue.’

Meanwhile John McBeth of the Straits Times, writing in The Nation, notes that, ‘US voter turnout, has dropped from a high of 65% in 1960 to barely 50% today. He compares this unfavourably with, ‘Many parts of Asia, Thailand's northeast for one, where the turnout rarely drops below 80%.’

The same writer also expressed some anti Obama sentiment by proclaiming that, ‘It is only now that commentators are waking up to the fact that, as charismatic as he is, Democrat Barack Obama does little more than mouth generalities and platitudes.’

The Final Three
So with the November general election fast approaching we know that the next US president will be one of three people, John McCain, Hilary Clinton or Barack Obama. That McCain will be the Republican nominee is a certainty. While by no means a foregone conclusion leading analysts see Obamas’ current lead in the race for the Democratic nomination as unassailable. However the question remains of how much damage the Clinton campaign can do to his, and consequentially her parties, chances of success in the meantime.

Those eligible to vote in the US national elections bear a global responsibility, the weight of the world really is on their shoulders. While the rest of us might not have the opportunity to vote we do have the luxury of being able to sit back and observe the fallout from what the Bangkok Post describes as, ‘probably the toughest and most thankless political campaign on Earth’