It now appears almost certain that the presidential contest in 2008 will be between Sen. McCain and either Sen.Clinton or Obama. I have been asked on many occasions which contest I would prefer. My answer is that, as a conservative, I would rather see a contest between Sen. McCain and Clinton, as her negatives are so high that she would be a more vulnerable candidate in a general election than Sen. Obama would be.
As an American, however, I believe that a campaign of McCain v. Obama would be a more positive and better experience for the country. Why? If it is Sen. McCain v. Sen. Clinton, it will be a much more divisive and bitter campaign (as all the previous Clinton campaigns have been.) Furthermore, it will inevitably degenerate in large part into another bitter “slanging match” in the blood feud between the part of the 60’s generation that turned against the Vietnam War and the part that continued to see it as their patriotic duty to support the war and the troops. The country does not need yet another round of that bitter debate in which no one wins and everyone loses. As satisfying as the moral symmetry of having Senator McCain, the Vietnam War hero, possibly defeating the draft dodger’s wife would be for many of us, it would be needlessly divisive for the country, whichever candidate was left standing at the end of the day. All my instincts tell me that the lure to descend to the dark side of such a contest would be virtually irresistible for far too many of our citizens.
However, a contest between Senators McCain and Obama would be about the future, not the past, and which direction the country wanted to go, domestically and internationally. The choices would be clear and distinct and would be conducted in a much more positive way than any debate between Sen. McCain and his supporters and Sen. Clinton and her supporters could ever be. Such a campaign could clear the air and could become the first chapter in an ongoing debate about America’s 21st century rather than the final chapter in the nation’s bitter debate about perhaps its most divisive issue of the 20th century—Vietnam.
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Diana Butler Bass is a religion scholar and author of Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith. She blogs at 
Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus at Eastern University and author of The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice, with Mary Darling. He blogs at 
Rod Dreher is a columnist for The Dallas Morning News and author of Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots. He blogs at 
Bruce Feiler is the author of seven books, including Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses. He blogs at 
Dan Gilgoff is Politics Editor at Beliefnet and author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War. He blogs at 
David Kuo served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and is the author of Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. He blogs at 
Dr. Richard Land is president of The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and author of The Divided States of America? What Liberals AND Conservatives are missing in the God-and-country shouting match!
Michele McGinty is a mom and a student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. She blogs at 
Brian McLaren is a pastor, musician, and author of Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope. He blogs at 
Steven Waldman is co-founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Beliefnet. His book Founding Faith will be published in March, and he can be reached through 
Jim Wallis is executive director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal and author of God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It. He blogs at
I'm afraid that if it is McCain vs. Obama, I'm afraid McCain might win.
McCain seems more narrow-minded, more suspicious, and more underhanded than the president we've had for 8 years now. I would be devastated if that is direction our country would take.
If it's McCain vs. Clinton, then I'm voting for McCain. But if it's McCain vs. Obama, then it'll be a spur-of-the-moment decision at the poll who will get my vote.
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