Obama and McCain - your thoughts/opinions on the American presidential candidates

[Earlybird]

Is Obama all charisma and no substance? Or is he a breath of fresh air politically speaking - offering hope for real change? Is he politically experienced enough to be president, or is he largely the X-Factor presidential candidate (huge momentum created by media adoration/hype but at some point the bubble will burst revealing a manufactured candidate?)

Is McCain too old, too conservative and/or too dull? All substance and no charisma - so doomed to fail with the media/public due to importance of image/soundbites? Or a man of experience and integrity who will guide the country with a steady and experienced hand?

As a Mumsnet member based in America, am curious to hear how the candidates appear to those who don't get their news through the US media. Am particularly interested atm as Obama is in the midst of his International tour.

Mkg - absolutely!

I'm still waiting for an answer about how Obama came to be given the names Barack Hussein, and whether or not his father was Muslim.

I'm pretty sure he was a Muslim.

MKG - thanks for reply.

What do we know about the second dh of Obama's Mum? Wasn't he Muslim too? Is he still alive?

If so, not sure it means anything, just curious.

I think so--he was Indonesian don't quote me on it though.

I don't know if he's still alive or not though.

Dittany- do you really want me to drag up all the Clinton scandal (proven and unfounded). US politicsm is a tough game and you will not get into that slot if you don't use some sharp elbows. But fear not, Obama will NOT win, i don't think

Fair enough that it is a point of interest as to whether his Dad was a Muslim. However, I haven't heard enough politicians on both sides condemn the posing of this question given that the US the Christian Church is not established (as part of the state)!!! Isn't the US meant to be a secular country or have I misunderstood? It is sickening the way his opponents have failed to condemn the mere mentioning of this as though it is relevant???!!!!

The analogy at work is that if you notice racism or fraud or anything unethical, silence is NOT the right response. One ought to condemn it right? Well haven't heard McCain or the Clintons do so- they appear (implicitly) happy to benefit from this sort of prejudice. That is what is so disappointing about the Clintons in this campaign

Dittany- I am shocked that you don't think that is unethical!!!

I don't think you answered my question by saying that JFK did it before you were born. To answer your question, I don't think Obama is a saint but I think that he is bright, charismatic and understands the role that the US needs to play in today's world. Now shall I ask you to defend some of the less savory actions of the Clintons? I was very pro-Clinton in his time and I knew about the short comings. I am pro Obama for the reasons mentioned although I know that he is not perfect.

Dittany- and you should reflect on the fact that Mrs CLinton was comfortably ahead of Obama with the black vote before the primary. But her "political manouvering " lost her that advantage; needlessly.

Dittany- did you hear BO's CLEAR condemnation the attack on Sarah Palin re: pregnant daughter tonight? That is what I expected from Clinton over the "Barack is a muslim" question. Not her cynical/unethical answers.

I wonder if the residents of New York state and Illinois are unhappy with their current senators?

Hillary and Obama were elected to represent their states in the Senate, and obviously they have not done it. All they've done for many months (years?) is campaign for president. Why is that tolerated? Shouldn't they have resigned their senate seats prior to seeking the presidential nomination?

And to follow on from my point below.....people complain of Obama's lack of experience - how he's been a Senator for 'only one term'. Hasn't he been a senator in name only? As far as I can see he's done very little of what a Senator should do because he's been out campaigning for 18+ months.

Well Hillary is in her second term as Senator as she started in 2000/2001. So she actually spent time serving the state before campaigning.

That is telling, though what residents say. I remember driving across Texas on my way to Arizona and we stopped and asked gas station attendants what they thought about Bush, and they said, he's horrible.

Dittany- i find your criticism of Obama unfair compared to other past and prospective/aspiring presidents. For example, you complain that Obama took too long to express his outrage re:Sarah Palin. I find this surprising as this issue is freshly broken. And then you don't acknowledge that to this day the Clintons have not condemned the Muslim question put to Obama! I repeat, Obama is no saint but I think that he offers more hope than the rest.

I let you have the last word but I think that you have mostly missed the points that I have made.

Interesting commentary from the Wall Street Journal on Obama's policy proposals:

online.wsj.com/article/SB122039919493892941.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

Did anyone watch the speaches last night?

They were not playing around. Palin came across as tough, but very likeable.

Palin did a magnificent job. Even pundits and commentators who are Obama/Democrat supporters admitted that she was very good.

She stands for alot of things I don't support, but she was a complete breath of fresh air - smart, direct and not excessively polished. Very refreshing to have someone on the national political stage who says what she thinks instead of the endless positioning/posturing, spin, rhetoric and political correctness that dilutes messages to the point that it is difficult to tell what someone thinks or what they stand for.

I was fearful that she would crumble under the media barrage and pressure of the national spotlight, but she rose to the occasion very well and I applaud her for it.

But some of those policies......hmm, not sure at all.

yes, Palin was very effective. I am becoming more confident that Obama will lose.

I say that as an Obama supporter. Palin connected in a way that McCain, Obama and Bidden can't. Shrewd choice; unless something that we don't know about blows her up!?

I don't really get the superlative response to Palin's speech. Granted, her delivery was very good - she mastered the auto cue very well.

However, the content of her speech I saw through as the product of a team of speech writers. It was not her own work.

I thought her accent was very brash and unstatesmanlike.

I don't suddently see substance and experience from her speech, and I am not taken in by the excited response of her hope-against-hope audience.

agree with you Squeaks BUT the package of "Hockey Mom" could really connect and make the others seem remote. With many still seeing Obama as some kind of strange foreigner her authenticity could work wonders. If she is any good at live interviews/debates then she could have a transformational impact on McCain's team. On the other hand she could be really bad at that and the wheels could fall off. Difficult to predict.

I just think that War hero + soccer mom is potent vs "black foreigner" that Obama is sometimes seen as. The European population doesn't vote, remember.

The traditional REpublicans are delighted that Mc Cain's running mate is pro-life, church-going, and actively goes hunting, shooting and fishing.

Like to see her in charge of the red button, then?