Muleskinner

Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Opinion

Commentary: Raghvendra Singh [Click to enlarge]

As the candidates for the 2008 presidential race moves from one primary to another, the race for the presidential bid not only seems to get dirty with all kinds of politically motivated accusations from all sides, but also tense, since neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have been able to figure out their choice of nominee.

And as the two parties move toward "Super Tuesday" on Feb. 5, in which 24 states will vote for candidates, it is still not clear who will be the candidante for either side.

On the Democratic side, though Hilary Clinton seems to lead Barack Obama for the moment, South Carolina will be the deciding factor. If Obama, with strong support from the African-American community in South Carolina, can come out with a major victory in that state, then he should expect tough competition on Feb. 5 from Clinton.

Although John Edwards may have been pushed aside by the critics, I think he certainly seems to be going in the right direction. If after South Carolina Edwards decides to step out of the race, his supporters may eventually end up supporting Obama, rather than an established candidate like Clinton. However, if Edwards decides to stay until Feb. 5, he may very well end up playing Clinton's best friend, by cutting the voters he would have given to Obama. It is very much the anti-Clinton votes Edwards and Obama share.

On the Republican side, the search for a viable candidate seems to be getting more tricky and confusing compared to the Democrats. Just before this race began, one would have thought of Rudy Giulani as a strong republican candidate.

So far however, he has lost the first six republican states. In fact, he has not even finished second or third. And, as of now, the state which he has been most relying on, Florida, which will hold its republican primary on Jan. 29, seems to be tilting more toward McCain. If Giuliani plans to do well on Feb. 5, he must come up with a win soon.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, with strong victories in Nevada, Michigan and Wyoming, surely seems to have a win in the bag. Though history shows that no Republican since 1980 who has lost in South Carlina has gone on to become the Republiacn presidential candidate, Romney sure seems to be strong. And with a strong record in economic turnovers, Romeny looks to be doing well when it comes to the economey, while McCain loosely hangs on to his Allan Greenspan book for reference.

As for Mike Huckabee, also known as "Holy Huckabee" for his strong Evangelical support, the victory in Iowa was much like a trip to the moon: he hasn't really been able to keep the momentum going. With a second place finish in South Carolina, it surely seems he has a tough battle ahead.

John McCain also seems to be going strong with victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina. Although Florida would stand as an important primary if he can come up with a vicotry in that state, not only would he eliminate Giuliani, he would also emerge as the strongest Republican nominee going forward.

All in all, Feb. 5 will be a definig moment, not only for the Republicans and Democrats, but also for Michael Bloomberg, the New York City mayor. He seems to be calculating his own chances as an Independent in this presidential race.

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