The coming presidential election could possibly be the sum of political pandering in the United States. Worst of all is the fact we have no other option besides Junior Senator Barack Obama.

The current political climate is choppy at best. Reeling from the congressional elections of last year, the country still has an anti-Republican, or, more truthfully, an anti-Bush, sentimentality. Perhaps the adage to best describe this situation is: Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

We seem to all be suffering still from the anti-administration fervor. I support the shift in political atmosphere; however, we may be losing sight of pragmatic thought.

Take a look back to the disgrace of Watergate. After Richard Nixon left office, Gerald Ford was president. Although Ford attempted to heal the country, he did not truly succeed. In reaction to the right, the country elected leftist Jimmy Carter. After the left of Carter was rejected, the political shift went to the right. The voters were swinging on a pendulum of extremes, set off by one controversial issue.

The issue today is Iraq. Whatever may be mentioned in political speeches, the issue of Iraq has dominated the American voter in the media and in turnout.

What I fear is the manipulation and pandering the Presidential elections may suffer as a result. Obama is useful as a candidate because of his lack of experience and his policy on Iraq. Obama wants out of Iraq in the immediate sense. Also, he has no record to differentiate his political faults and strengths, a fact which can be played up to mean that he has no faults.

Forgive me for continually being suspicious of politicians, but I believe politicians have earned those suspicious reputations.

Obama appears as a golden boy of U.S. politicians, but the question we should be asking is: How can we tell? How can we tell that pulling out of Iraq is the best answer without securing the border, instilling a solid economy and solving the growing rift between Kurdistan and the rest of the country? What is so difficult for me, and I am certain is the case with other left-wing liberals, is the lack of options in what could become an extremely influential election when it comes to foreign politics.

The candidates have practically been beaten out in the media to only include Hillary Clinton or Obama. That occurrence is enough to send this leftist over to conservatively-independent Joseph Lieberman.

If there is anything I would say about the junior senator, it is that he has good policies when it comes to health care and the environment. Still, I feel he has not focused enough attention on realistic solutions to problems that a good bipartisan should work toward.

I would prefer if the senator continued his role serving this state and proving himself, before he monopolizes the leftist vote.