Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama exchange words during the Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Palace Theater in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Bush is desperate for a legacy. Oh, he'll be remembered, but for all the wrong reasons: an economy headed into recession, trillions of dollars of additional debt for somebody else to worry about, the illegal invasion of Iraq, Katrina, the destruction of our reputation worldwide, the failure to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, and countless investigations into the shadiest, if not the most outright corrupt, administration in memory.
But all is not lost. Perhaps President Bush will be remembered as the last white male to be allowed to serve as president for a good long while.
Think about it. The Republican presidential field is wide open, and whoever gets the nomination will have to run against the stuff mentioned above. No easy task. 70% of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction.
That leaves the Democrats. They're down to three candidates, and it doesn't look like John Edwards will be around much longer. So unless things change, it looks increasingly like the country will be called upon to elect either an African-American or a woman…something we've never done before.
And despite the tide running against another Republican occupying the White House, there are real questions about whether either can win. In the privacy of the voting booth, will the country make history?
Here’s my question to you: Is the U.S. more ready for a woman president or a black president?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Mel writes:
I am an African-American and I am a woman. Although, I love the idea of having either choice in the White House, I think America is still a man's world....even if it's a black man. It will be Obama over Hillary.
Eric writes:
The U.S. is ready for neither. Thankfully, the way the campaign is going there should be a brokered convention. The Democrats then can turn to the one candidate that can actually win the general election: Al Gore. Now that is an election we can all look forward to: Gore vs McCain.
Peggy writes:
Well, neither could do any worse than what we currently have. I just wish they would stop beating each other up before they get to the big dance. I think that Bill is really hurting his wife’s chances. She had great ideas when he was president and he should take a giant step back.
Mike writes:
Yes, America is ready. But not this black candidate and not this woman. America needs quality leadership, and these two are lacking.
Ron writes:
Jack, A woman has an uphill battle to be president. A man who attacks another's record is praised as confident and bold. A woman does the same thing and she is bitchy and overreaching. Any woman, to win, will have to do what they always have to do, twice the work of a man! They do it everyday, so maybe there is a chance!
Brian writes:
I think the country is probably more ready for a woman, but I'm not sure Hillary is that woman. I think in the end the U.S. is tired of 8 Clinton years and 12 Bush years and Obama will be the victor. I'm 25. I wonder what the country is like without a Bush or Clinton running it.
R. writes:
Yes, in order to get different results, we have to do something we have never done before.