America between Hope and Fear  

A few days were sufficient for Republican candidate John McCain to make up for the vote intentions in favor of his opponent Democratic candidate Barack Obama. The polls even showed that McCain was leading, albeit with a slight difference.This advantage was determined by McCain's choice of the young Alaska governor as his vice-presidential candidate despite the many criticisms regarding Sarah Palin's lack of experience and family issues - including a pending case in court. Experience and personal background have not even played out in favor of the Obama-Joe Biden ticket, which combines the Afro-American candidate's charisma and eloquence and Biden's experience in Congress and foreign affairs.McCain's campaign has borrowed one of Obama's two main slogans; the Democratic candidate used them as a backbone for his presidential campaign once he snatched victory in the party elections campaign. These two slogans focus on the US domestic conditions. They revolve around change and hope: the change of the political practice at the level of the central administration in Washington, and the hope that all Americans would have equal opportunities to enjoy the same rights and obligations. McCain's campaign - particularly after Palin's choice - has borrowed change according to Palin's formula: the Democratic ticket speaks of change in order to get to the White House, whereas the Republican ticket gets to the White House in order to induce such change, albeit with a different content than the one sought by Obama. What matters in this change is to move away from the current Republican president George Bush's legacy and the negative results of his eight-year term of office both on the economic and social levels.

At a time when the Bush administration foreign policy seriously took a toll on the image of the United States - particularly with the unilateral management of the war on terror and the invasion of Iraq - Obama tried to establish a new policy based on the return to state institutions, negotiations and cooperation with allies, and dialogue with enemies, in order to guarantee US interests. In his opinion, force alone is insufficient to protect these interests.Hence, Obama gained considerable popularity around the world and up to 70% in polls outside the United States - particularly in Western Europe. However, this image sought by US allies for the US president has not dispelled domestic fears, the very ones that are feeding McCain's popularity at home. The Republican candidate is known for his military record and boldness in taking hard and unpopular decisions when necessary.McCain's campaign takes every opportunity to focus on the continuous threat to the United States and the ongoing war on terror. This threat is not limited to targeting Americans in their own country but also their interests around the world.There is a repetition of the main headline of the presidential battle four years ago between Bush Jr. and Democrat John Kerry. The former held on to the war in Iraq as a means to keep the danger off the United States. Kerry, for his part, failed to convince his fellow citizens of the need to end this costly, tiring, and damaging war. Moreover, Bush's consecutive terms of office proved that the Americans were driven more by fear than hope.* Published in the London-based DAR AL-HAYAT on September 16, 2008.