Muleskinner

Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: Opinion

The upcoming 2008 presidential election is gradually snowballing into something of astronomical proportions. Although it seems like there is an unusually large number of candidates running, they are just announcing it much earlier.
In the 2004 elections, Howard Dean was a strong presence for the Democratic party until the primaries when John Kerry emerged. Of course, the main Republican contender was George W. Bush.

This year, the media has exploded with talk of several candidates running for the Democratic and Republican parties. Not only is the number of candidates mind-boggling, but the variety of candidates is controversial to say the least.

The big-name Democrats in the running now are John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

John Edwards, former vice presidential running mate of John Kerry, established a name for himself in the 2004 election. Clinton, former first lady and the first-ever woman to run for president, has caused quite a ruckus with her strong ideas about policy in Iraq. Barack Obama has taken his fair share of the limelight by being the first African-American to run for president.

The Republicans also have their own powerhouse candidates, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.

John McCain ran against President Bush in the 2000 election and provided an alternative for voters who found Bush too conservative. Giuliani's reputation speaks for itself. He served two terms as mayor of New York and successfully guided the great city through the tragedy of the Sept. 11 attacks.

It is safe to say this race will not only be one of the most controversial in history, but one of the most expensive as well. It is a great thing so many candidates are running in 2008, but it's going to take some serious fundraising and, more importantly, speaking directly to the issues Americans care about, to take the cake. American asked for change in 2006. No matter the party, we'll see if that's what we get.

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