I am Canadian AND European... and when I look at the U.S. candidates, I'm still juggling with complexities.
For Canada, NAFTA is not exactly milk and honey... too many eggs in one basket! I think trade relations with the rest of the world are suffering needlessly, and this is a bad policy in the long run, considering the number of skilled immigrants who bring know-how and inside information.
Besides which, to be realistic "What's good for the U.S. may not necessarily be good for the rest of the world"... Bill Clinton might have been a good boss for the Americans, but his intervention in the Kosovo war was inexcusable... Eight years ago, the though of having that idiot Lieberman as VP in the States gave me the shivers... that guy's policies are/were a total disaster... although I have to say that Bush has proven by far to be the worst U.S. president I've ever seen, he has even shattered the dewy-eyed pro-Americanism found in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism. Now, if only that would lead to a renewed national consciousness...
Not easy to balance these things.
However, I'm going to say the following:
A: Concerning the the Republican camp
1) People like Huckabee, Romney and Thompson are outright spooky, they're like the mad preacher-turned-president in "Escape from LA"... they are so far removed from world reality, and so entrenched in those hazy, outdated "conservative" values, that they're bound to be relegated to the dustbin of history.
2) Ron Paul is an interesting choice, and he might be a win-win candidate (U.S. vs. the World), but he doesn't stand a chance. He definitely would be a refreshing break from what's been populating the White House in the last 20 years.
3) John McCain is a fascist and a hawk. I said that much during his first bid, in 2000, based on all I've heard from his mouth (I was in SC during those primaries), and I'm saying it again... the guy is dangerous, and I fear he'd be making some generally bad and nasty foreign policy choices, especially military-wise. Being a prisoner of war has definitely scarred him for life.
4) Giuliani... at the moment he's a wild card, he has a good stance on a couple of civil liberty issues, but he's an opportunist who rode the 9/11 bandwagon "ad nauseam", and he might be rash and ultimately incompetent.
B: Concerning the the Democrat camp
1) Kucinich seemed like a good guy, but he's out of the race.
2) Edwards would make a decent, but not spectacular president or VP, providing that he's honest in his promises and beliefs (which remains to be seen). On the other hand, let us remember that the original meaning of "mediocity" was something desirable in nature.
3) Hillary is a political whore, so there's no way of telling which way she'd go, but here proximity to the Hollywood lobby indicates at the very least that she'd pass some really bad pieces of legislation for consumers (let's not forget her husband's legacy concerning DMCA, DRM and other such niceties). And despite her promises, I doubt she'd do a good job with healthcare reform, despite the fact that the U.S. desperately needs it - yes, I know what the conservatives claim, but you are wrong and selfish in your views. When I add to this mix the fact that she had an inexcusable stance towards the Iraq war, I fear she'd be just as lousy as Bill when it comes to foreign policy.
4) That leaves Obama... I really like the guy, and I think he'd bring a breath of fresh air in the stale Foggy Bottom common mindset. If he's as cautious as he claims in matters of foreign policy, he'd be good for the world, and if he's only half as sincere as he claims in matters of internal policy, he will make a good and decent American president.
All in all, I fear that the U.S. voters, when faced with the novelty of having either a young, half-black OR a middle-aged woman candidate, will instinctively go for the perceived historical safety (or psychological "continuity") offered by yet another old white male. That means you (U.S. residents) and us (the rest of the world) will be stuck with the likes of Giuliani or McCain. Between these two, the Italian seems preferable, or at least not as dangerous. For the moment.
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