This Election is Far from Over

It is not a foregone conclusion that this election is over, despite the media and intellectual elites’ effort to make us believe so.

People are still unsure about who Sen. Barack Obama is. I find it amazing that, no matter how charismatic, charming or intellectually superior Barack is, there still remain serious questions about his experience and unapologetic, off-the-charts liberal record.

I still don't see how anyone in their right mind could argue that the senator from Illinois is more experienced and prepared to lead this country than John McCain is. McCain may have many issues that plague him, but leadership, wisdom and having been in the line of fire are not among them. (Sarah Palin is another story, and is definitely hurting his chances of becoming president.)

While Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) is arguably the better of the two candidates on security and foreign policy, this war has had significant domestic economic effects. For one, because of the ongoing conflict, we have been unable to fully exploit the oil resources of Iraq. Moreover, some of Iraq’s neighbors and friends in the U.N., such as Venezuela, have fought us economically, by restricting the oil production from their own reserves. To make matters worse, China’s growing economy has placed increased demands on the world’s already tight energy supply. While not a direct consequence of the Iraq war, this factor has certainly affected the supply and price of oil.

The fact of the matter is that the American electorate has come to view the war on economic, rather than merely political, terms. The threat of terrorism is seen as secondary to America’s economic security.

This is where Obama obtains his major advantage. McCain has admitted that he is not as strong on economic issues. Moreover, his chief economic adviser, former Sen. Phil Gramm, put his foot in his mouth when he demonstrated a complete lack of empathy with the plight of the American worker, calling this a “mental recession” that had no basis in economic reality. The facts on the ground in recent months have certainly indicated otherwise, and further expose McCain to the accusation that he just doesn't get it on domestic economic issues.

If Sen. Obama isn't leading comfortably by six points or more the weekend leading into the election, this could spell a serious upset in the making by Sen. McCain. Word to the wise: Don't count your eggs before they're hatched; just go out and vote for the candidate of your choice.